Vol. 527 No. 1
42 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if the request of the family of a deceased person (details supplied) to undo a miscarriage of justice arising from a public inquiry into a forced landing will be acted on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19364/00]
The accident was the subject of a public inquiry held in the Four Courts in June 1953 before the late Judge Thomas Teevan S.C. The inquiry found that the Aer Lingus DC 3 aircraft on a scheduled flight from Dublin to Bermingham on 1 January crashed at Spernal near Bermingham with the loss of the aircraft. There were no fatalities.
The inquiry found that the captain was responsible for the accident by allowing both engines cut out by feeding from the same fuel tank which ran dry. The captain's license was endorsed by the then Minister for Industry and Commerce, the effect of which prohibited him from flying passenger aircraft. The license was restored without prejudice in 1977. The late captain's family now seek the quashing of the verdict of the court and officials of my Department are in contact with them. These discussions should shortly result in an agreed mechanism for a structured review of the issues which are of concern to the family.
