Two die in light aircraft crash near Mount Leinster

The men, in their 50s and 60s, along with two dogs, left Athboy Aerodrome in a Cessna 172

Two men from Co Meath have been killed after a light aircraft crashed on the border between Wexford and Carlow.

One man, who was in early 50s, and another in his 60s both died instantly as a result of the crash, which occurred before 2.40pm on Sunday.

The two men, along with two pet dogs, left Athboy Aerodrome in the afternoon in a Cessna 172. Weather conditions en route were reported to have been perfect.

A hillwalker reported the incident to gardaí. It was unclear last night if the hillwalker witnessed the crash.

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The crash happened at Blackstairs Commons near Mount Leinster, an area gardaí have described as "hilly and remote".

The salvage operation was being run out of the GAA clubhouse in Kiltealy. There was no access to the crash site by road.

Both bodies remained at the scene last night. The scene was being preserved for technical examination.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit was in attendance.

The Waterford-based helicopter, Rescue 117, was brought in to search for the aircraft and members of the South East Mountain Rescue Association also attended.

The names of the two men who died were not released.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times