THE consultant treating those injured in the Guinness' helicopter crash in Co Fermanagh has said that the action of the pilot saved his passengers from almost certain death.
The aircraft was one of three helicopters taking part in a media trip organised by the brewery. It crash landed in a field at Mullaghmeen, about three miles outside Enniskillen, on Monday. Its tail rotor splintered after being, hit by a large bird, possibly a goose.
The Civil Aviation Authority is examining the wreckage as part of its investigation.
Three journalists and the managing director of Guinness in Northern Ireland, Mr Brian Duffy, were on board. The most seriously hurt were the pilot, Mr Malcolm Reeve, Mr Jim McDowell, of the Sunday World, and Ms Barbara McCann, of GMTV.
They sustained leg and back injuries. The consultant treating them in Belfast City Hospital, Mr Alistair Hamilton, yesterday said they were lucky not to have been killed. Mr Reeve's skill in landing had undoubtedly saved lives, he added.
Mr Reeve described the final moments of his flight: "At about 500 feet, something gave way, and we started spinning violently. I thought, `this is it, I've seen this before, this is where people die'
"But it was very much a fleeting thought and training took over again. I remember attempting to steer away from power lines and trees and was successful. I was then able to give it a last shot of power and managed to cushion the impact of the landing as much as possible."
Mr McDowell said that the passengers had tried to reassure each other as they plummeted through the air. "We told each other that we were going to get out of it alive," he, said.
"People say that your whole life flashes before you and that these things are over in an instant. But it didn't happen like that. It seemed to be an awfully long time."
Mr McDowell's wife, Lindy, a journalist with the Belfast Telegraph, who also took part in the trip but was travelling on another helicopter, said: "It was a horrible experience. Over the headphones in our helicopter, we could hear the pilot in Jim's helicopter frantically calling `May Day, May Day' and struggling to bring the aircraft under control.
"I then saw the helicopter lying like a big broken toy in a field. We landed nearby and I saw Jim lying splayed out. His eyes were closed. His face was deathly white and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"But, when I spoke to him, he answered and told me to go to Barbara McCann, who was in extreme pain."
Ms McCann said they all owed their lives to the pilot. "Malcolm Reeve was tremendous. He was very cool and calm and we are all lucky to be alive," she said.