Somebody tampering with the emergency door of an RAF helicopter has been blamed for an incident in which three people were injured at a Galway airshow last weekend.
Public tampering has been blamed for the helicopter incident at the Salthill Air Show on Sunday last. Image: Liam McBurney/PA.
The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) of the Department of Transport also said in a preliminary report published today that RAF crew members of the Merlin helicopter failed to check the door handle was in the correct position before taking off.
The report concluded that a member or members of the public had tampered with the "emergency egress door handle while the helicopter was being viewed at the static display park.
"None of the RAF flight crew members observed the position of the emergency egress door handle during the pre-flight inspection. Shortly after becoming airborne the unlocked door detached and fell to earth. The investigation considers that this occurrence was not a pre-meditated malicious deed."
The AAIU said the door and its locking mechanism were fully airworthy before the incident and based its conclusion that the craft was tampered with on digital video and camera evidence.
Mr Jurgen Whyte, chief inspector of Air Accidents of the AAIU, is conducting the investigation. The British military is conducting its own investigation.
The incident happened at the Salthill Air Show on Sunday and left three people in hospital with minor injuries after the door fell about 150 feet onto spectators.
