A MID-AIR collision between a Learjet aircraft and a helicopter was narrowly avoided at Dublin airport shortly before Christmas, it emerged in a report published yesterday.
The air miss was described by the Air Accident Investigation Unit of the Department of Transport as a serious incident. It occurred when a helicopter crossed a runway while the jet was in the process of taking off, shortly before 8.54am on December 17th.
The helicopter pilot had been given conditional clearance by air traffic control to cross the runway after the jet had taken off.
Instead, the pilot of the helicopter crossed in front of the Learjet and didn’t see the other aircraft until the two were close to colliding. On becoming airborne the pilot of the jet was forced to take evasive action to avoid a crash. No one was injured in the incident.
The helicopter pilot subsequently told the investigation unit that he had not understood the air traffic control instructions.
The investigation unit, which published the report, said there was very little space between the two aircraft at the time of the incident and an accident was only narrowly avoided by the “excellent airmanship” of the Learjet’s commander.
The incident happened shortly after sunrise in conditions of good visibility, the report noted. The Learjet was carrying two passengers and was bound for Zurich in Switzerland. The helicopter had no passengers.
