South Eastern Mountain Rescue attempting to locate the plane crash
by Louise McCarthy
THE FIRST local eye-witness description of the plane wreckage 300metres up the Blackstairs Mountains was by a Rathnure man.
Dwane Doran lives in the vicinity of where the the fatal plane crash occurred on Sunday, May 24th. The bodies of two men, Bryan Keane(69) and Paul Smith(58), were airlifted to Waterford University Hospital that night.
Early in the morning, Mr Doran made the arduous trek up the steep mountain, just accompanied by his dog, in a bid to locate the scene of the wreckage.
Speaking to The Echo, Mr Doran said that he left his car in Rathnure forest and proceeded to make his way on foot for about an hour and 30minutes.
When he reached the summit of the Blackstairs Mountains, he was not prepared for the carnage that awaited him.
“It was absolute devastation as there were bits of the plane scattered everywhere. I could not find the cockpit at first. The plane was broken into two segments. I found a wheel from the plane about 500 yards on the other side of the mountain,” said Mr Doran.
At about 3p.m. on May 24th, Enniscorthy gardai were alerted by a hillwalker that a plane had crashed.
A multiagency operation involving coastguards, gardai, Air Accident Investigators, South Eastern Mountain Rescue and the HSE worked together to recover the bodies from the wreckage. Their two dogs also died in the crash.
The last of the mountain rescue members came off the mountain shortly after midnight in what was a very challenging and demanding incident extending over 10 hours.
A spokesperson from the Air Accident Investigators described the mountain terrain as ‘quite deep and hostile.’
Kiltealy G.A.A. Pitch was transformed into a helicopter landing point during the rescue mission. Locals gathered at the G.A.A. Pitch throughout the day.
Chairwoman of Enniscorthy Municipal District, Barbara Anne Murphy, joined the groups of local people anxiously awaiting updates.
She described the sense of horror being expressed by the parish of Kiltealy that two men had been found dead on the mountain summit.
The Air Accident Investigation Unit confirmed that, pending favourable weather conditions, the wreckage will be recovered in the coming days. The cause of the crash is as yet unknown and is undergoing investigation.
It is believed that the plane had left Ballyboy Airfield, County Meath, and was probably destined for Taghmon Airstrip. The two men were known as experienced aviators.
Speaking to The Echo, Mr Peter Towse, of Taghmon Airstrip, said they regularly see aircrafts landing at their pad. Mr Towse said:“It is extremely unusual that a plane crashes. Planes landing at Taghmon is a very informal event, every weekend some plane lands.
This is very sad for such a small community involved in flying.”
