Irish Air Corps trainer down in Co Galway

[juice]

Pilatus down.

Fears for crew as Air Corps plane crashes in Co Galway - The Irish Times - Mon, Oct 12, 2009 (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1012/breaking73.htm)

Fears for two crew.

[Just a spotter]

Same story here (http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1012/cornamona.html) from RTÉ

According to the 9pm news broadcast, the aircraft was part of a flight or 3 PC-9's taking part in exercises in the Galway area, but at the time of the accident the aircraft were not flying together.

All the Air Corps PC-9's are equipped with Martin-Baker ejection seats, so here's hoping ....

JAS

[EI-TURKEY]

12 Oct 09. Two Air Corps crewmen confirmed dead.

Today at 23:10
Defence Forces Press Office
12 October 2009. 11.10 pm.

Statement
The crew and wreckage of the Air Corps Pilatus PC 9 reported missing this evening have been located and the two crew members, the flight instructor and cadet pilot, are unfortunately confirmed dead. Their remains are at the scene of the crash, which has been sealed off by local Gardaí and Fire Crews.

The crash site will be examined at first light tomorrow morning by Air Accident Investigators from the Air Corps and Department of Transport. The remains of the two crew can only be removed after the scene has been cleared of the explosives from the PC 9 ejector seats which would be at the crash site also.

Names of the crew of the aircraft will not be released until it is confirmed that their families have been informed by Air Corps personnel. The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Dermot Earley and the General Officer Commanding the Air Corps, Brigadier General Ralph James have expressed their deepest sympathies on behalf of the Defence Forces at this difficult time for the families of these deceased airmen.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Note: The location of the crash site is in the area of Crumlin-East/Crumlin West, north of Lough Corrib, on the Galway-Mayo border.

[Just a spotter]

Very sad news. Condolences to their families, friends and loved ones.

R.I.P.

JAS

[heliski22]

Sad day - tragic outcome to what started off as another training detail for the Instructor, another step on the road to qualification for the young Cadet.

RIP

[JackAirman]

Air Corps Crew Named

Crew Details PC-9

Captain Derek Furniss (32) and Cadet David Jevens (22) are the two crew members that died in the crash of the Air Corps PC-9 (Tail # 265) last night at Cornamona, Co. Galway.

Captain Derek Furniss joined the Defence Forces in October 1994 and is a qualified pilot since 1996 and a qualified flight instructor since 1999.
He has over 3,000 flight hours and was the Chief Flight Instructor on the Pilatus aircraft and member of the Air Corps PC-9 Display Team.
Derek, originally from Ballinteer, Dublin 16 was single and living with his partner in Dublin.
Cadet David Jevens joined the Defence Forces as an Air Corps Cadet in 2006 and was at the advanced stages of flight training on the PC-9 with over 160 flight hours and 50 simulator training hours over the past three years flight training.
He was due for commissioning as a pilot later this year. David was single and from Glynn, Co. Wexford.
Currently, the Air Accident Investigation teams are on scene at the crash site which is approx. 2 – 3 kilometres from Maam Cross, Co. Galway. The onsite investigation is estimated to take 48 – 72 hours initially. Gathering information from the site has commenced with data from the flight and cockpit voice recorder that have been located.

The Defence Forces ask for respect for both families at this very difficult time. Funeral arrangements for the deceased are a matter primarily for the families, but every assistance is being provided by Air Corps personnel.
General Officer Commanding the Air Corps, Brigadier General Ralph James met the Furniss family last night and is meeting the Jevens family later today to extend sympathies on behalf of the men and women of the Defence Forces.

[scarebus03]

The two pilots that died in the accident have been named by the Irish Defence Forces,

RTÉ News: Data recorder recovered from Galway crash site (http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1013/cornamona.htm)


They were instructor Capt. Derek Furniss and Cadet David Jevens. I knew Derek during my time in the Air Corps and he was a great guy,

May they both Rest In Peace

SB03

[707-348C]

To the family and friends of the deceased, and to the Irish Air Corps family at Baldonnel.

From the Calibrators.

[Tankertrashnav]

Gathering information from the site has commenced with data from the flight and cockpit voice recorder that have been located.



Having left the RAF in 1977 I am very out of date with current military practice. In those days, while in widespread use in commercial aircraft, flight and cockpit recorders were not fitted to purely military types, as far as I was aware. What is the current position in British military aircraft - is this equipment routinely fitted?

[saudipc-9]

It is in Canada on both the Hawk and Harvard II fleets. Also on other fleets but I cannot speak with authority as to which ones.

[amostcivilpilot]

Sad news for the Air Corps and the families, friends and colleagues of Captain Furniss and Cadet Jevens.

RIP gentlemen

I searched along the changing edge
Where, sky-pierced now the cloud had broken.
I saw no bird, no blade of wing,
No song was spoken.
I stood, my eyes turned upward still
And drank the air and breathed the light.
Then, like a hawk upon the wind,
I climbed the sky, I made the flight.
— Elizabeth J. Buchtenkirk

[Nigd3]

CVFDR is now a standard option for all "modern" PC-9Ms

IAC PC-9Ms are equipped with them.

[Tankertrashnav]

Thanks for reponses guys, but no info yet on British military a/c- anyone enlighten me?

[Flap62]

TankerTN,

Is there any chance you could start another thread to ask this question?

Don't really think this is an appropriate time for this thread to wander off elsewhere.

[Tankertrashnav]

Actually I disagree, but with great respect to yourself and to the two Irish guys who were killed in the accident. As has been mentioned elsewhere there is perhaps a need for an obituary section on Pprune where messages of condolence, etc, may be left, and I would certainly go along with that. However I would submit that this thread about an aircraft accident is a relevant forum for enquiring about the means of investigating such accidents. My question is about whether things have moved on since my own flying days when investigations into RAF accidents were hampered by the lack of flight and cockpit voice recorders.

Light-hearted and irrelevant thread drift on here would be entirely inappropriate, I agree, but for reasons stated I dont really think my query comes into that category.

[Lurking_SLF]

For anybody interested the AAIU published a (delayed) report today.
Air Accident Investigation UnitFull List of Reports (http://www.aaiu.ie/AAIUviewitem.asp?id=13426&lang=ENG&loc=1652)

RIP to both involved.

Lurking.

[Two's in]

Extremely comprehensive, but sadly all too familiar report demonstrating just how rapidly a "routine" training sortie can degenerate into a fatal accident.

[Telstar]

Very, very sad. It seems the PIC was highly regarded indeed. If it can happen to someone like that it could happen to anyone.

[Bubblewindow]

I knew both of the crew involved. The reason the report was delayed was an injunction was put in by another party to stop the report going public as it showed the P1 in a bad light but this only goes to show it can happen to anybody as was said.
I've experianced this very scenario myself during a low level abort due to WX when I thought we were inverted and rolling .
Luckily for me I was just a pax.

Let's hope some good will come from this tragedy.

BW

[airpolice]

An interesting word.


The F261 cadet said that during the flight, he could see that the weather ahead was disimproving.

[Paulie Walnuts]

What exactly is the meaning of your post? Are you a flying instructor? Do you have any idea what you are talking about, if you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting? When you post something of that nature back it up with worthwhile comment and assessment please.

[Nigd3]

Paulie

I read the post from airpolice as referring to the interesting word of "disimproving" and although it is actually correct, it's not commonly used.

I don't believe he was offering any new insight into the crash, or providing some new opinion, that cannot already be understood from the crash report.

Then again I could be completely wrong. Succumbing to the power of internet forum misinterpretation is quite easy.

I met the P1 a couple of times a few years ago and was saddened to hear of the accident. He was a very nice, friendly bloke in my opinion.

[airpolice]

NIGD3, Exactly.

[Just a spotter]

Report from RTÉ, 27th Feb 2014

The State has admitted liability for the death of an Aer Corps cadet who was killed in a plane crash in 2009.State admits liability for Aer Corps cadet's death - RTÉ News (http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0227/506973-david-jevens-air-corps/)

(although, just why the State broadcaster can't get the name of the particular arm of the Defence Forces correct is a poor reflection on the level of journalism at the station).

More here;
State admits liability for death of Air Corps cadet killed in 2009 crash (http://www.thejournal.ie/david-jevens-compensation-1335976-Feb2014/)

and here;
State accepts liability in the death of Air Corps cadet - Independent.ie (http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/state-accepts-liability-in-the-death-of-air-corps-cadet-30047404.html)

JAS