THE family of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick have released a poem to their 'Queen of the Sky', one month on from her tragic death following a rescue helicopter crash off the Irish coast.
Helicopter R116, based out of Dublin, had been despatched on March 13, with four crew on board; Capt Dara Fitzpatrick, Capt Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciarán Smith.
But in the early hours of March 14, the helicopter lost contact with the Coast Guard off the coast of Blacksod in Co. Mayo, and a large scale search and rescue mission began.
The bodies of Capts Fitzpatrick and Duffy were retrieved. Ciarán Smith and Paul Ormsby remain missing.
At her month's mind Mass, Capt Fitzpatrick's sister Niamh read the poem written by their cousin Stephen Fitzpatrick, titled Banríon na Speire, meaning Queen of the Sky.
Niamh Fitzpatrick released the words of the poem on her Twitter account.
A call, a calling,
A mission, a mercy,
Top cover needed, Rescue 116 heeded,
A tragedy, a search,
Brief hope and a prayer,
Despair,
A church, a piper,
A song, a word,
A whirl, a sound, rescue 118 abound,
A nod, a hover; top cover;
A rest on the hill of R116,
A mum, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a friend,
No matter which, it isn't the end,
Brave to core, her spirit will soar,
For the queen of the sky was destined to fly.
Last week, the final tragic moments of the R116 crew were revealed in the preliminary report by the Air Accident Investigations Unit.
The primary findings of the aircraft’s black box revealed that the crew identified the island, and attempted to “come right” before impact.
The helicopter was also equipped with a EuroAvionics EuroNav 5 moving map display, which had a number of maps and charts available for selection.
The lighthouse at Black Rock, where the helicopter debris was found. (Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie)But the exact information in relation to Black Rock and the Lighthouse varied from none, to detailed, depending on the selected map or chart.
The audio of the crew was detailed on three channels; Capt Fitzpatrick and Capt Duffy each on separate channels and Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith sharing a channel in the rear of the aircraft.
“Looking at an island just in, directly ahead of us guys, you want to come right,” the rear channel says.
“Ok, come right, just confirm?” Capt Fitzpatrick asks.
“Come right, come right now, COME RIGHT,” the rear channel says.
“We’re gone,” Capt Mark Duffy says, before muffled sounds are picked up on the audio.
The helicopter then rapidly “pitched nose up” during the two seconds prior to the initial impact.
The investigation team have said that a further investigation will be carried using the recorded data, an assessment of mission management and human and aircraft performance.
