PRESIDENT MARY McAleese spoke last night of the pain felt by families, including her own, after yesterday’s air crash at Cork Airport yesterday, which left six people dead.
A relative of Mrs McAleese’s husband Martin and two Northern Ireland businessmen were among the dead, while six other passengers were injured when a small aircraft carrying 12 people crashed in dense fog.
Two of the survivors who suffered minor injuries were able to walk away from the wreckage. Four others were being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries last night.
The pilot was last night named as Jordi Lopez, a Spanish national, and the co-pilot was an English national, Andrew Cantle. The four passengers who died were Richard Noble from Yorkshire, Pat Cullinan, from Belfast, Michael Evans, from Belfast and Brendan McAleese, from Ballymena.
The Manx2 airline flight from Belfast to Cork overturned and caught fire while making a third attempt to land at about 9.45am. There was heavy fog in the area at the time and visibility was poor.
Brendan McAleese, who owned the Central Laundries business in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, was a cousin of Dr Martin McAleese, the husband of Mrs McAleese. He was married with a young family.
Mr Cullinan, was originally from Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, was a partner in accountancy firm KPMG in Belfast.
Captain Michael Evans, deputy harbour master in Belfast, was married with a family. He was originally from England before moving to the North in the mid-1990s.
Mrs McAleese joined with clergy and politicians to offer sympathies and prayers for all those involved in the fatal plane crash.
“I am especially conscious of the pain being experienced tonight by all of the bereaved as one of the deceased was Brendan McAleese, my husband Martin’s cousin,” she said.
“His family have lost a fine and loving husband, father, son and brother, and their awful grief is replicated in the lives of all those who lost their loved ones in today’s crash.
“No words can ease their pain but I hope they draw some small comfort from knowing that our thoughts and prayers, both here and in homes throughout the country, are with them at this darkest hour.”
The Department of Transport’s air accident investigation unit (AAIU) has begun carrying out a full investigation into the tragedy.
The unit’s spokesman Jurgen Whyte said it will examine air traffic control tapes, radar information, weather reports and the condition and operation of the aircraft to establish the cause of the crash.
He said the plane had crashed, inverted and caught fire about 1,000ft down the runway.
“Investigators will be looking to recover the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. When we analyse them we will hopefully be able to establish what was going on during the final moments of the flight,” he said.
There was widespread praise yesterday for the work of the rescue crews and emergency and support staff involved in the tragedy.
Fire crews were able to extinguish a fire on board the plane within minutes, while the city’s emergency plan meant survivors were treated at the airport before being rushed to hospital Dr Mary Boyd, director of nursing at Cork University Hospital, said she was immensely proud of up to 300 staff who were involved in the response.
An emergency plan which was put into effect after the emergency call came through at 10am, she said. A team from the hospital was immediately sent to the crash site to help stabilise and diagnose the injured.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who visited victims and relatives in Cork yesterday, also expressed shock and sadness and said his thoughts were with all of those affected.
A preliminary report into the accident is due to be completed within a month but the full investigation could take a significant period of time, depending on its complexity.
Investigators yesterday said the aircraft – a Fairchild Metroliner – was not a modern aircraft but could fly for 30 years if it was properly certified and maintained.
Cork Airport was closed following the crash and the main runway is expected to stay shut until at least 4pm today.