The final report into a fatal skydiving plane crash in Co. Offaly two years ago has found the probable cause of the accident was a loss of control.
The aircraft's 47-year-old pilot Niall Bowditch and 7 year old passenger Kasper Kacprzak were killed in the incident.
Shortly before 1:15 on the 13th of May 2018, The Irish Parachute Club flight took off at Clonbullogue Airfield in Co. Offaly.
16 skydivers were in the main cabin of the Cessna 208B, while pilot Niall Bowditch and Kasper Kacprzak were in the cockpit.
The pilot had more than 2,100 hours of flying experience with over 450 hours logged in the aircraft used on this day.
The skydivers jumped from the plane as planned, and when the aircraft was returning to the airfield, the pilot advised by radio that he was on ‘left base’
No further radio transmissions were received.
A short while later, the aircraft was destroyed after crashing nose-down into a forested peat bog around 4 and a half kilometres away from the Clonbullogue Airfield.
Both the pilot and young passenger were killed.
The final report into this incident determined that the probable cause of the accident was a loss of control in a steeply banked left-hand turn, leading to a rapid loss of altitude.
It has made 4 recommendations in light of the incident, including that the Irish Parachute Club revise its Operations Manual to specifically stop flights from carrying people indispensable to the mission.
