Vol. 404 No. 6
10 Mr. McCartan asked the Taoiseach if any preliminary results are yet available from the investigation into the fatal crash of an Aerchór Marchetti in County Cavan on 13 December 1990; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
A court of inquiry has been established by the military authorities to investigate all aspects of the accident.
This is the first opportunity I have had in the House to express my commiserations on the death of the young Air Corps cadet recruit in this unfortunate accident. Is the Taoiseach in a position to comment on the age of the aircraft that was involved in the accident?
No, I do not have the exact information but it is one of the Marchetti machines which are in standard use for training. There was a previous accident but since 1982 these aircraft have had a clear record. I suggest that the Deputy and I should leave it to the court of inquiry to establish all relevant facts. At this stage all either of us can do is, as Deputy McCartan has said, regret very seriously the loss of this young officer.
While I would certainly not seek to inquire too deeply into the matter as it is under investigation, nevertheless I would proffer one suggestion to the Taoiseach, that the issue of age be a feature with regard to this craft and others of its type. Would the Taoiseach agree that it has more to do with the ingenuity and skill of the technicians that many of these aircraft that have been so long in service have maintained the excellent service they have? Would he agree that he, and his Government, might be better employed spending money in this area than in buying expensive executive jets?
That is an irrelevant comment. I am not competent, and I do not think the Deputy is competent, to comment on the quality of the aircraft. I am quite satisfied that the Air Corp would not be flying aircraft unless they were satisfied about their safety and operational capacity. It is better to leave this to the court of inquiry.
