Inquest told two died instantly in air crash

Two Belgian nationals died instantly from multiple injuries sustained when their light aircraft plunged to the ground at a cricket field in Galway, an inquest heard yesterday.

Pilot Jean Marie Derkenne (56) and his passenger, Jean Marie Lembourg (54), died when their plane crashed at Lydican, Oranmore, only minutes after taking off from Galway airport on September 19th last.

The cause of death in both cases recorded by coroner Dr Ciarán MacLoughlin was "multiple injuries consistent with an extremely violent impact sustained in an aviation accident".

Michael Connolly, an air traffic controller at Galway airport, told the inquest that Mr Derkenne had filed a flight plan for a flight to Belgium an hour before they took off at 12.35pm.

The pilot was supposed to maintain radio contact for 10 miles, but Mr Connolly had no further contact from the aircraft and he was informed by Shannon airport of a possible crash at Lydican, Oranmore.

Shane Doherty said he had been doing contract work for the ESB in the Lydican area that day when he heard the noise of a plane coming from the clouds.

He then saw a small plane with only one wing spinning out of the clouds and nose-diving to the ground. The inquest heard that the pilot and his passenger were pronounced dead at the scene and their bodies were later identified by their personal effects and dental records.

The chief inspector of air accident with the Department of Transport, Jurgen White, said that his investigation of the crash found that the 1966 Belgian-registered wooden single-wing structure aircraft had been in particularly good condition.

He said Mr Derkenne was only licensed to fly in sight of the ground and the weather conditions that day were marginal for such a flight.

Mr White said he was satisfied that the aircraft was in or above cloud shortly before it spun to earth. The likelihood was that the pilot had lost control while the aircraft was in reduced visibility and in attempting to recover the plane, the right wing had been grossly overloaded and snapped.

"The final sequence of the aircraft plunging to earth, in my opinion, was just a matter of seconds. While there might have been a bit of confusion in the cockpit, it would have been short-lived and in my opinion, death was instant on impact," he said.