asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if his Department have received reports of a near miss incident involving two commercial aircraft over a residential area of Dublin north-east at approximately 8 p.m. on Monday, 4 May 1987; the investigation, if any, which has been carried out into the incident; if it is normal practice to allow training flights over residential areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Training Flights.
12.
My Department have not received any reports of a near miss incident on the date mentioned. Training flights over residential areas are governed by general legislative provisions which lay down operational minimum heights in the interest of safety.
The question arises from a firm report from a constituent. From the Minister's inquiries of Aer Lingus, can he confirm that there were two commerical aircraft in the locality about the time and date indicated?
We have had detailed inquiries made with regard to this serious question. There is no evidence whatsoever in the air traffic area of such incident, no pilot has reported any incident, and no air traffic control officer is aware of any incident such as this.
My Department are at a loss to know the reason for this question. The Deputy indicated that a citizen reported to him that such an incident had taken place. It was suggested to me in one of the letters I got when I asked for information that sometimes, from angles, citizens may get a false impression of how near aircraft are to each other. We have no evidence of this incident. As I said, angles can give a false impression as many spectators and goal umpires can give evidence of.
A bit like The Workers' Party and the Labour Party.
Deputy Deasy is waking up. This is a matter of concern. Was there a commercial aircraft or any aircraft training in the vicinity around the date and time in question? Do aircraft from Dublin Airport engage in training over the north city, or any part of this city?
I have already answered that in my original reply. Training flights over residential areas are governed by general legislative provisions which lay down operational minimum heights in the interest of safety.
Do they take place?
Obviously they do, provided they adhere to the provisions laid down in law.
My question specifically asked if there was an aircraft circling and training over the north city area at the date and time in question.
There is no evidence that there was.
The Minister indicated that there are guidelines for training, but are training flights arranged between certain times, say, from dawn to dusk, or is there a final hour beyond which training is disallowed?
Most of the training is done in Shannon. The impositions on aircraft training would take place under the safety provisions I have mentioned.
May I——
It must be a brief supplementary.
We have a considerable amount of time left. I am concerned that the Minister is being somewhat reticent in imparting information in this matter. Will he, at some stage, communicate with me and advise me what civil aircraft were doing by circling over the north city area for a considerable time on the evening in question? My concern is that in the course of this manoeuvre an incoming landing flight passed very close, if not near to, the circling aircraft.
I would like more information about aircraft training over populated areas. There is a vast amount of country areas available. On what scale does this training take place over the city of Dublin? Does the Minister have any proposals to change that?
First I reject the Deputy's suggestion that there is reticence on my part. I sought information from all the relevant authorities, from everybody who could have information about this incident——
Were there two aircraft in the area?
The Deputy asked a question and he should be good enough to hear the reply.
Despite the fact that we made extensive inquiries from air traffic control, the pilots and all the relevant authorities in the area, we got categorical statements that no such incident occurred in the knowledge of anybody in the area. I want to put that on the record lest there be any doubt about it. With regard to the general provisions for safety, they are there to safeguard citizens. I do not have a list of all the planes which flew in and out that day, but I know no such incident was reported to any competent authority on that date.