R116 lifejacket and helmet found by fishermen

Anton McNulty

A LIFEJACKET and a helmet believed to have belonged to one of the crew of Irish Guard Coast helicopter Rescue 116 was discovered by fishermen last week.
The items were discovered by fishermen who were fishing approximately one nautical mile north of Achill Island last Thursday, July 12. It is believed that the lifejacket and helmet belonged to one of the crew of the R116 helicopter which crashed into Blackrock Island in Blacksod Bay in the early hours of March 14, 2017.
The items were discovered by the fishermen who were hauling their fishing gear on board. They brought the items to Belmullet Garda Station, who are overseeing the investigation into the death of the four crew members.
The crew were providing top cover for the Sligo-based R118 rescue helicopter as it performed a medical evacuation of a fishing vessel located over 100 miles off the Mayo coast. They were returning to Blacksod to refuel when they struck Blackrock Island located approximately 12km from the Blacksod coast.
Winch crew Paul Ormsby and CiarΡn Smith have been missing since March 14 when their Sikorsky S-92 helicopter crashed off Blackrock island, claiming the lives of the two men and their colleagues Captain Dara Fitzpatrick and Captain Mark Duffy.
Last September a helmet and lifejacket belonging to either CiarΡn Smith or Paul Ormsby was discovered washed ashore on a beach near An Clochar, close to Elly Bay on the Mullet peninsula.
An inquest into the death of the four crew members opened in Belmullet in April but was adjourned pending continued investigations into the causes of the helicopter crash.