FINAL REPORT INTO SALTHILL AIRSHOW INCIDENT PUBLISHED

Date Published: 11-Apr-2008

An investigation into an accident at the Salthill Airshow where the door fell off a military helicopter has found a pre-flight inspection did not detect the door had been tampered with.The Air Accident Investigation Unit has published it's report into the incident which took place last June during which two people sustained minor injuries.The injuries were caused by an emergency hatch falling 40 metres from a Royal Air Force helicopter as it took off from Salthill Park.Three spectators give accounts of the door falling to the ground with one woman recalling how the door hit her on the chin and knocked her backwards.The report has found that a locking mechanism of the hatch had been interfered with by an unknown member of the public during a period of public access. The investigation found that the event was not malicious but occurred as a result of 'a mindless act of curiosity on the part of a unknown spectator'.