DEATH CRASH COPTER PASSED SAFETY CHECK; Inquiry into deaths of flight instructor and student.Byline: EOIN EOIN End of Instruction REYNOLDS A HELICOPTER that crashed killing two men passed a safety check just 24 hours before it went down, it has emerged. Investigators were yesterday trying to piece together why the copter fell from the sky on a clear day with an experienced pilot on board. The dead men were named as Colm Clancy, 34, from Stra na Corcra, near Derrybeg in North Donegal and 24-year-old Dermot Sheridan, from Blackwater, Co Clare. Neighbours paid tribute to both men yesterday as they struggled to come to terms with the deaths. Parish Priest of Derrybeg Fr Michael Sweeney said: "I knew Colm growing up in the local school here and he was a lovely young man. "I spoke to his neighbours earlier and they are all in shock. People would have the highest regard for him and his whole family. It's just utter shock that a young fella would be taken so early." Clare councillor Tony O'Brien said: "Any community would be shocked that a young person could lose their life in such a tragic way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends." Mr Clancy, an instructor with the European Helicopter Academy, was giving his younger co-pilot a lesson to help him gain his full private licence on Wednesday. They took off from Weston Airport in Leixlip, Co Kildare, at 5pm for a 90-minute flight. When they failed to return the alarm was not raised because the rest of the flight school had gone home for the evening. It is believed the flight went down within 45 minutes of taking off and the bodies remained on the bog overnight. The following morning staff noticed the helicopter was missing and called the emergency services emergency services Emergency care '…services …necessary to prevent death or serious impairment of health and, because of the danger to life or health, require the use of the most accessible hospital available and equipped to furnish those services' . A Coastguard helicopter spotted the crashed copter on an isolated patch of the Bog of Allen The Bog of Allen (Móin Alúine in Irish) is a large peat bog in the centre of Ireland between the rivers Liffey and Shannon. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council describes the bog as "an important area of peatland, as much a part of Irish natural heritage as the , near the Kildare-Meath border. They winched a man down on to the bogland, where the bodies were discovered. A spokeswoman for the EHA EHA European Hematology Association EHA Economic History Association EHA Emmanuel Hospital Association EHA Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 EHA Empty Homes Agency EHA English Hockey Association EHA Electrohydrostatic Actuator said: "The directors and all staff wish to express their devastation at this tragic accident. Their thoughts are with the two men's families and friends and offer them their heartfelt condolences." The helicopter was a Schweizer 300Cbi. The model has an excellent safety record and is the preferred choice for trainee pilots. The Irish Aviation Authority The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), or Údaras Eithlíochta na hÉireann in Irish, is a state owned company and is responsible for the regulation of air travel in the Republic of Ireland and of the main international airports including Dublin, Cork and Shannon. is co-ordinating an investigation into the crash. Gardai last night said there was no suggestion the deaths were caused by anything other than an accident. CAPTION(S): REMOVAL Bodies taken to Dublin to be identified by families PILOT Colm Clancy GOOD RECORD Aircraft like one they were using WRECKAGE Scene of crash yesterday where two men were killed at the Bog of Allen in Co Kildare INVESTIGATION Members of Irish Aviation Authority inspect rotor blades |
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