Shannon Airport police have taken delivery of a hovercraft rescue vessel for use on the mudflats around the airport. It is the first time such a vessel has been commissioned in the State.
The airport, situated on the juncture of the Shannon and Fergus estuaries, is surrounded by hundreds of acres of mudflats at low tide which could create an access problem if an accident occurred. "It is not feasible to carry out rescues on foot. In some places the mud goes up to your neck," Pat Kirby, chief of the airport police, said.
The vessel, a 6.6-metre Griffon hovercraft, is ideally suited for accidents involving light aircraft whose usage are increasing in popularity. An accident involving one occurred last week in Killaloe when a plane crash-landed in a field. The three-person crew escaped uninjured.
The hovercraft, purchased for £150,000, has a two-member crew and can take three passengers. Mr Kirby said 10 of the 100 airport police have been trained in its use. The police, who are employed by Aer Rianta, also have responsibility for fire services and have seven fire engines.
For their water rescue service, they have a 55-foot rescue launch powered by water jet engines and are capable of carrying twelve 30-person life rafts. They also have two Zodiac inshore inflatable rescue crafts.
Up to now, the force has had a slow moving track vehicle called an "Argocat", specially designed to travel on soft surfaces. The hovercraft, which moves on a cushion of hot air, can travel over water, sandbanks, riverbanks, rocks and beaches. "It has its limitations. If we had a high wind, it would affect it. The other exception is high waves," said Mr Kirby.
Serious aviation accidents occurred on the estuary at Shannon in 1954 when 28 people died in a KLM crash and in 1961, when a President Airlines plane crashed with the loss of 83 lives.