THE FIRST official report into last month’s aircraft crash that claimed the lives of six people at Cork Airport will be published today.
The report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit will outline what investigators have established to date as to what happened the 19-year-old aircraft prior to the crash in thick fog.
The preliminary report is not expected to make any findings as to the cause of the crash, although it is expected that it will detail the three attempts made by the pilot to land the aircraft at Cork in fog between 9.10am and 9.40am on February 10th.
It is understood the accident unit will notify the families of the six deceased and six survivors of the contents of the preliminary report, which is expected to run to just four pages, prior to its publication on its website this afternoon.
Six people, including Spanish pilot Jordi Sola Lopez (31) and co-pilot Andrew Cantle (27) from Sunderland, were killed when the 19-seater Fairchild Metroliner III flying from Belfast City Airport to Cork crashed while attempting to land on the main runway at Cork.
Among the passengers killed were businessman Richard Noble (48) from Belfast; accountant Patrick Cullinan (45), originally from Co Tyrone but living in Belfast; businessman Brendan McAleese (39) from Co Antrim; and harbour master Michael Evans (51) from Belfast.
It is expected the preliminary report will reveal that the aircraft’s right wing clipped the runway, leading the aircraft to flip on to its roof before skidding into the grass where one of its engines burst into flames, threatening to engulf the aircraft before being extinguished by firefighters.
It is believed the report will say there was no obvious mechanical fault with the aircraft.
Already investigators have confirmed publicly that the aircraft’s first point of impact was on the runway, and that the debris trail extended from the point of impact for 180-190m to the point where it came to a stop off the runway.
Investigators retrieved both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage before the fuselage and wings were removed from Cork airport for examination by engineers to a hangar at Gormanstown, Co Meath.
Investigators analysed data from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.
They also examined radar tapes from Cork Airport, and interviewed both air traffic controllers as well as the six survivors.
The Belfast-Cork commuter service was provided by virtual airline Manx2.com based in the Isle of Man.
It was operated by Barcelona-based airline Flightline BCN, which had leased the Metroliner III from another Spanish airline, Air Lada based in Seville.
The inquiry team, under Jurgen White and including Leo Murray, Paddy Judge, Graham Liddy, Tom Moloney and Paddy Farrell, was assisted by experts from the UK Air Accident Investigations Branch at Farnborough, who helped analyse the cockpit recorder.
The Irish team was also assisted by experts from a Spanish air accident investigation unit because the aircraft was owned by Spanish companies, and by US experts from the National Transport Safety Board because it was manufactured there.