No sign of crewmen as Rescue 116 helicopter lifted

No trace has been found of the two missing crewmen from Rescue 116 after it was lifted from the seabed off Blackrock Island, Co Mayo.

Naval service divers attached lifting equipment to the wreckage of the aircraft yesterday in an effort to bring the helicopter to the surface and locate the bodies of the two missing crew members Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith.

However, there was no trace of the crew members after the aircraft was successfully raised from the seabed

The bodies of captains Dara Fitzpatrick and Mark Duffy have been recovered since the crash over two weeks ago. An improvement in sea conditions yesterday morning off the island allowed the procedure to take place, which involved sending divers 40m below the surface to the wreckage site.

The Marine Institute’s ‘Holland 1’ remotely operated vehicle was positioned beside the wreckage before the operation began and was used to monitor the operation from the seabed.

However, strong southerly winds in the area made the process extremely difficult.

The CoastGuard’s search and rescue operations manager Gerard O’Flynn said that the weather had made the manoeuvre extremely difficult.

“Following on from a very successful remotely operated vehicle operation overnight, Navy divers were in the water this morning and they completed the tasks which were assigned to them in terms of securing lifting straps to the target,” he said.

The helicopter has been at the seabed since the accident occurred on 14 March.

However, a prolonged period of difficult weather conditions in the area has made the salvage operation extremely difficult.

At the weekend, the Air Accident Investigation Unit said initial indications from the data retrieved from the aircraft’s health and usage monitoring system and the multi-purpose flight recorder were that mechanical failure was not to blame for the crash.

“The Air Accident Investigation Unit is mindful that Sikorsky S-92A helicopters are in operation around the world in a variety of roles, including search and rescue. Following an event such as this, many operators and agencies are anxious to learn if any matters are identified during the ongoing investigation that may require immediate safety actions.”

“The investigation is still at a preliminary stage. However, an initial analysis has been conducted of the data retrieved from the helicopter’s health and usage monitoring system and the multi-purpose flight recorder. No mechanical anomalies have been identified during this initial analysis,” said a statement.