THE PILOT of a small plane that crashed into the sea off the Wexford coast last year had not carried out thorough preflight checks and had not filed a flight plan with British air traffic control, a report has found.
The final report into the crash involving an Avid Mk IV Speedwing aircraft southwest of Tuskar on August 11th, 2009, was published by the Air Accident Investigation Unit of the Department of Transport yesterday.
Pilot John O'Shaughnessy had to perform a forced landing some seven miles from Rosslare Harbour, when the engine of the two-seater plane stopped on a flight from Haverfordwest in Wales to Taghmon, Co Wexford.
Prior to hitting the water, Mr O'Shaughnessy, of Foulksmills, Co Wexford, sent a Mayday signal which was picked up by air traffic control at Shannon airport.
A nearby rowing boat witnessed the plane ditching into the sea and sent a second Mayday signal which was picked up by the Coast Guard.
Less than half an hour later Mr O'Shaughnessy, who was travelling alone, was winched from the wing of the aircraft by a helicopter and taken to Waterford Regional Hospital. He was discharged a short time later.
The report said that although the pilot had undergone a familiarisation flight with an instructor, it was six months since he had last flown the aircraft. It may have been "prudent" for the pilot to undergo additional familiarisation training or some flying in the local area to reacquaint himself with the aircraft and its systems, prior to the cross-water flight.
Mr O'Shaughnessy, who was not named in the report, had 152 hours' total flying experience with four hours on the type of aircraft involved in the crash.
The accident report said that following the engine stoppage, the pilot had no option but to carry out a "controlled ditching", a "demanding" procedure which he accomplished successfully.
According to the accident investigators, the preflight checks were not conducted with thoroughness.
No water check was made of the fuel on board, something the report considered essential as the aircraft had not flown for several months and it would have been better to replace the fuel in the tanks with a fresh supply.
The investigators formed the view that a fuel-vapour-related problem, probably a vapour lock in the fuel supply line, occurred during the flight.