The pilot killed last night in the helicopter crash about four miles outside Dingle, Co Kerry has been named as David Reid (42) from Blackhorse Avenue in Dublin.
The aircraft - a Bell 206 Jetranger - was en-route from Weston Airport in Co Kildare to Tralee, where it was set to pick up passengers from the Tralee races.
It is reported to have hit the side of a mountain at Lispole, west of Dingle shortly after 7 p.m. last night.
The Department of Transport’s air accident investigation team are carrying out their inspection of the craft. The exact cause of the crash has not yet been established. A preliminary report of the investigation is expected to be presented to the Minister within a number of weeks.
Mr Reid was pronounced dead at the scene and was the sole occupant of the helicopter.
Gardaí said there was very dense fog in the area at the time, with visibility down to under 150 metres.
The Bell 206 Jetranger is one of the most commonly used commercial helicopters in Ireland.
