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'It's a terrible tragedy' - Investigation resumes into fatal aircraft crash in Longford

A man killed in the incident was not from the local area.

Tweet by @Emergency Times Emergency Times / Twitter Emergency Times / Twitter / Twitter

AN INVESTIGATION HAS resumed into the fatal crash of a small airplane in Co Longford yesterday.

The Air Accidents Investigation Unit (AAIU) of the Department of Transport confirmed that it had resumed its investigation at 11am this morning.

The investigation comes after a father in his forties was killed when the small aircraft he was flying crashed near Abbeyshrule Airport at about 5.30pm yesterday evening.

The man was not local to the area but was visiting Abbeyshrule for the day to fly.

The AAIU team (made up of three investigators) arrived on the scene at 9pm last night. They initially examined the crash site before the man’s body was released to the emergency services.

The gardaí have also launched a separate investigation into the incident.

“A tragic accident”

Local county councillor Mick Cahill described the accident as a “terrible tragedy”.

“It’s a tragic thing to happen locally. Abbeyshrule is a very close knit community,” he said.

There would always be people flying up around the airport… it would be normal enough that people would be there on weekends.

Cahill said that the airport was a popular spot for flying enthusiasts, with people regularly coming in from out of town to take part in activities there.

No one knows how it happened. It was a tragic accident and I send every sympathy to the family.

The AAIU will continue their investigation and issue a final report when it’s completed.

The main activities of the investigation will be:

  • The recording of the wreckage and the general area.
  • Interviews with eye-witnesses to the crash
  • Removing the wreckage and documenting it at the examination facility in Gormanstown, Co Meath.

The accident is the second significant aircraft crash to take place in the Longford town in a year.

Last July, a helicopter crashed into the side of the Rustin Inn pub. No one was seriously injured in the incident.

Read: Man in his 40s dies after light aircraft crashes in Longford

Read: Baby girl “doing very well” after being rescued from Buncrana tragedy

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    Mute Sean
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    Aug 4th 2022, 7:55 AM

    I am just back from Helsinki and funny how they can manage to have trams run 24/7.

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    Mute Brianto
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    Aug 4th 2022, 9:19 AM

    @Sean: berlin too
    the mind boggles

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Aug 4th 2022, 9:48 AM

    @Sean: They have more trams maybe?

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    Mute Darragh O'Connell
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    Aug 4th 2022, 10:39 AM

    @Sean: that’s a lie. They run just after midnight leaving time for essential maintence. Why would you like that?

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    Mute Tony Stanley-Jaggard
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    Aug 4th 2022, 1:55 PM

    @Sean: You’re wrong you know.

    In Helsinki they operate between 05:30 to 23:30 on weekdays and 07:00 to 23:30 at weekends so actually less hours than Luas.

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    Mute Inno Items
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    Aug 4th 2022, 6:14 PM

    @Brianto: And not just recently. They have operated 24 / 7 since ever.

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    Mute Longlin
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    Aug 4th 2022, 7:54 AM

    I can only dream then of taking my life in my hands by getting a red line Luas at 3am. It’s hairy enough already at 3pm in the day with its current lack of adequate policing.

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    Mute Sean
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    Aug 4th 2022, 7:58 AM

    @Longlin: on the Green line we don’t have that issue, so i suggest 24/7 on Green Line only.

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    Mute Heather Knowles
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    Aug 4th 2022, 8:35 AM

    Strange how other cities manage to operate a 24 service, p New York, Chicago, Copenhagen, Melbourne and Tokyo all provide 24 hour transport services to a much wider metropolitan area then Dublin. We really can’t do anything right here. At the very least a late night if not 24 hour service with additional frequency and extended weekend hours should be available on all forms of transport. How on earth is maintenance required every night?

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    Mute Thomas O' Donnell
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    Aug 4th 2022, 10:44 AM

    @Heather Knowles: I assume it’s because those cities have more alternative lines during maintenance

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    Mute Sean
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    Aug 4th 2022, 6:40 PM

    @Heather Knowles: because those countries don’t find a problem for every solution, here unfortunately some people have a problem for every solution

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    Mute Robert Mc Manus
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    Aug 5th 2022, 11:30 AM

    @Thomas O’ Donnell: Normally a bus service will replace the tram/train service whilst maintenance is been carried out here in Melbourne

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    Mute Johnny Kelly
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    Aug 4th 2022, 6:06 AM

    More trains then

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    Mute Ryan O'Rourke
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    Aug 4th 2022, 8:21 AM

    Is maintenance carried out every single night? The nights they have to do maintenance they can have a bus service follow the route like the trains do when they’re getting repaired ?

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    Mute Mickety Dee
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    Aug 4th 2022, 8:30 AM

    @Ryan O’Rourke: If only they had implemented a priority bus corridor instead. Then we wouldn’t have these issues and multiple bus routes could be implemented using it

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    Mute Chris Curran
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    Aug 4th 2022, 9:32 AM

    I wanna cry. The hopeless of our country. A real no can do attitude.

    We get presented with problems – never solutions.

    Been all over Europe. Out public transport is the shame of Europe.

    I beg the politicians and the unions, that for once, please just once actually deliver us, the people, a public transport that we can be proud of.

    You make us ashamed to he Irish.

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Aug 4th 2022, 10:01 AM

    @Chris Curran: “We get presented with problems, never solutions”. Just like The Journal comments section then.

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    Mute Chris Curran
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    Aug 4th 2022, 10:16 AM

    @sean o’dhubhghaill: Don’t agree.

    Our politicians are truly hopeless. No innovation. No leadership. No vision for what the country could be. It’s all about keeping their seats and towing the party party line.

    Our planners are conservative, with many passed their sell by dates. In Dublin, four local authorities agree and implement four different county development plans led by planners.

    I’m not just describing the problem, I’ve been there, done that and walked away because of party handcuffs.

    Dublin needs an exectutive mayor free of party handcuffs to enable a vision to come forward.

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    Mute Sean Ryan
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    Aug 4th 2022, 9:35 AM

    Is there only 1 tram? Surely some sort of maintenance rota could be devised combined with somewhat reduced services during the overnight hours.

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    Mute chiqey
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    Aug 4th 2022, 9:56 AM

    Is there anything we can do in this country?? How do other countries manage? It’s just a disgrace our lack of decent public transport

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    Mute Kevin Rochez
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    Aug 4th 2022, 10:44 AM

    With the amount of Taxes that we are paying, it should be a right to get better transport for all Citizens.

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    Mute François Pignon
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    Aug 4th 2022, 8:38 AM

    Could they please put the Luas underground? Reclaim the streets!

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    Mute Joe Kennedy
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    Aug 4th 2022, 9:13 AM

    @François Pignon: “Síos” maybe?!

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    Mute Jake Kelly
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    Aug 4th 2022, 1:02 PM

    In fairness could you imagine the madness of the Red Line at 2AM in the morning?

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    Mute Lydia McLoughlin
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    Aug 4th 2022, 5:15 PM

    Past 1am?? Was trying to get out of town on a Saturday night few wks ago last tram through town passed at 11.15pm??

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    Mute Mark Dawson
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    Aug 4th 2022, 10:20 PM

    Surely there be less trams on through the night less than half I imagine so can rotate them easily each night Surely they don’t need maintenance after each day if they do something is wrong

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