Last AIS & voice
Last AIS position recorded at 00:46 (N54.06736º, W10.3229º) is over Black Rock, an islet with light house & helipad, located 17km west of Blacksod helipad. The Irish Times newspaper reported that a last brief voice message declared "landing in Blacksod", but no attribution for the reception of the voice message.
Can any contributor confirm if the S-92A equipped with data/voice recorders incorporating an Underwater Locator Beacon?
RV Celtic Voyager is currently sailing parallel tracks to the west and north of Black Rock at a speed that's probably too fast for side scan sonar tows so it may be trying to detact a ULB transmission or us using its MBES for a bathymetry survey before launching a SSS towfish to locate wreckage on the seafloor. Unfortunately, it looks like the Marine Instiute/GSI 'INFORMAR' bathymetry data doesn't include data for this specific area around the Black Rock islet.
I'll suggest that search coordination is confident of an impact area within 2km west/north west of Black Rock, currently being surveyed by Celtic Voyager, while LE Eithe, LE Róisín, and the RNLI lifeboats search for drifted surface debris.
I hope responders will bring a positive resolution in the search for the three still missing crew members and, in time, their aircraft.