One of the men killed in Tuesday’s helicopter crash in Co Westmeath has been named as Niall Crosby, an IT professional from Co Kildare.
An investigation is under way into the crash which occurred close to Raharney GAA club, between the villages of Raharney and Killucan, at about 3.30pm.
The crash claimed the life of Mr Crosby, as well as that of another man who is understood to be from eastern Europe.
Mr Crosby lived in the Glenageary area of south Dublin, but was originally from Straffan. He spent a number of years working in London before returning to Dublin recently. He was married and was a father to two young children.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Crosby’s family said he was “sadly missed by his loving wife Jillian (née Kee) and his adored children Thomas and Robin”.
“He is mourned by his parents Frank and Thérèse, his brothers Brian, Eamon and Kevin, Jillian’s parents Jack and Jean and his extended family including Layla, Emma, Jim, Erik, Nigel, Jayne, David and his nephews and nieces Max, Martha, Oscar, Callum, Harry, Hugo, William, Naomi and Louisa.
“He will be deeply missed by his wide circle of friends, relations, work colleagues, clients and professional peers.”
Mr Crosby was an IT consultant and entrepreneur who had spent much of his working life in London, his family said. “He and Jillian had returned to Dublin to raise their family in recent years.
“Niall’s family would like to thank everyone who has been in touch with their condolences over the past extraordinarily difficult 24 hours.
“They would like to particularly thank the first responders and the various authorities who have been so understanding and professional. And they would like to especially thank the local communities of Killucan and Raharney for their thoughts and prayers.”
The family added that they were keeping “a special thought” for Mr Crosby’s co-pilot and his family.
The two men were killed when their helicopter came down on the roof of a piggery in the Joristown townland. Gardaí are liaising with Mr Crosby’s family.
The two men were the only occupants of the helicopter, and were pronounced dead at the scene. Both bodies were removed from the scene to Regional Hospital Mullingar for postmortems.
The flight originated at Dublin’s Weston Airport, according to flight data, and the helicopter had been in the air for some 25 minutes when the crash occurred.
The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU), the authority for investigating air accidents and serious incidents in Ireland, is the lead agency investigating the incident, while gardaí will provide technical and forensic assistance where required.
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