I've just sent a pm to a fellow contributor. As it took me a little while to collate the info, I hope he won't mind me sharing it with you. It may be of interest?
Mrs Sinead Swift is the controller who provided evidence to the BOI (not known if this was under oath?) and subsequently at the FAI. To the BOI she made a statement including the following:
The helicopter was observed on radar to track outbound on the 027 degree radial from the Belfast VOR, as it had requested. At 1747 hrs, the aircraft reported at the Zone Boundary, and advised changing to an en-route frequency. The helicopter was observed on radar to be approximately 7 nm out on the 027 degree radial from the Belfast VOR.
(For information, the zone boundary is actually 9 nm.)
At the subsequent FAI, and giving extensive evidence under oath, no mention
whatsoever was made of any radar contact. Points that were covered however included:
!) Mrs Swift had to ask 'F40' to repeat the zone boundary call, as she "might have been on a telephone call to someone else and missed" (the first call).
2) Belfast Aldergrove had no SSR
3) F40 was cleared to fly VFR below 500'. (I leave it to you to decide whether this was likely to be closer to 100' over NI in 1994?)
Another witness: Anne Tylor from Carnlough, approximately 3/4 mile from the coast, describes ZD576 as "skimming the chimney tops and rooftops", and flying along a glen with the trees above. Following the contours of the ground.
Is it likely this a/c
was visible on radar
? Even if it
were, how accurate was Mrs Swift's recollection? She was handling more than one helicopter.
I have no idea whether any radar traces for this period are still available, nor whether it is possible to match these chronologically with any voice communications.
That's all there really is on this
'RADAR FIX' I think?