Well here we are 56 pages on. Would you Rotorhead chaps/esses please indulge me because, in a sense, I was there at Page Zero having visited Malin Head, as a tourist, earlier that day and noted the Coastguard HQ. Whilst I was tucked up in a hotel bed outside London/Derry Dara and Mark and their crewmates were outbound "to the rescue". When I awoke the accident had happened - so why, apart from that co-incidence of geography, do I feel so affected and why this post?
Ans: Many many years ago I was rescued, severely hypothermic, from the freezing 'oggin, at night, by an SAR Heli crew (for those who might wish to guess which incident 'twas in Europe but not UK).
Recently retired after 15,000+ fixed-wing professional flying hours you will understand why the SAR community has throughout retained a special place in my heart.
I also have a contribution to make in the understanding of how this seems to have come about - in the interest, as always, of learning lessons and sadly, in this case, pointing out one that does not seem to have been learnt by the Operator. Do you Rotorheady peeps remember 'Impact Erebus'? The Air NZ DC10 that CFITed into the Antarctic in late 1979. The proximate cause was Sector White Out but the single largest contributing factor was the fact that the Airline's Flight Planning Dept. had changed the stored Flight Plan in the FMS the day before (non-trivially, they moved the inbound track 27nm East!) and NOT TOLD the Crew. The latter carried out a conscientious brief based, unknowingly, on the wrong data - Ringing any bells here? It did with me within 24 hrs and 50+ pages ago and I trust you will agree worth sharing. Keep safe guys and girls, and Thanks again tb