Aer Lingus Flight 712

Aer Lingus

Industry	Airline
Founded	1936
Headquarters	Dublin , Ireland
Products	Air transport services

1. REDIRECT Template:Use Hiberno-English

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence Aer Lingus Flight 712 tragically crashed while flying from Cork to London on 24 March 1968, resulting in the loss of all 61 occupants onboard. The aircraft, a Vickers Viscount 803 known as St. Phelim, went down in the sea near Tuskar Rock, located off the coast of County Wexford. Despite an extensive two-year investigation, the precise cause of the accident was never established. Various theories have been proposed throughout multiple inquiries, including collision with birds, involvement of a missile or target drone, and possible mechanical or structural failures.

Crash

Departing from Cork Airport at 10:32 am bound for London Heathrow, the flight proceeded without incident until a transmission was intercepted containing probable phrases such as "twelve thousand feet descending spinning rapidly". No further contact was made with the aircraft thereafter. London Air Traffic Control (ATC) notified Shannon ATC that radio communication had been lost. Subsequently, London ATC instructed Aer Lingus Flight EI 362 (operating Dublin to Bristol) to conduct a search west of Strumble. This search was carried out at approximately 500 ft (150 m) altitude under good visibility conditions but failed to locate anything. At 11:25 am, a full alert was issued. By 12:36 pm, there was a report of debris sighted at coordinates 51°57′N, 6°10′W; however, subsequent aerial reconnaissance found no wreckage and the report was withdrawn. Search operations involving aircraft and vessels resumed the following day, during which wreckage and bodies were discovered approximately 6 nautical miles (11 km) northeast of Tuskar Rock, with additional debris scattered over an area extending about six nautical miles northwest.

Over the course of several days, thirteen bodies were recovered, with one more found later. The principal wreckage was eventually located on the seabed by trawling roughly 1.72 nautical miles (3.19 km) from Tuskar Rock at a depth of 39 fathoms.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Vickers Viscount 803 registered as EI-AOM, which had been operational since 1957 and accumulated a total of 18,806 flight hours over its service life. During the 1950s and 1960s, Aer Lingus operated around 20 Viscount aircraft, with two other units experiencing significant accidents. In June 1967, an 803 Viscount crashed during a training flight due to a stall, resulting in the loss of three crew members. Additionally, in September of the same year, an 808 Viscount suffered irreparable damage following a crash landing caused by pilot error amid foggy conditions; fortunately, no serious injuries occurred.

Flight crew

The cockpit team featured Captain Bernard O'Beirne, aged 35, who had previously served three years in the Air Corps before joining Aer Lingus. His flying experience totaled 6,683 hours, including 1,679 hours on Viscount aircraft. He held command qualifications for the Viscount and had passed his medical examination in January 1968. The first officer was Paul Heffernan, aged 22, trained at Airwork Services Training in Perth and recruited by Aer Lingus in 1966. That same year, he earned his Irish Commercial Pilot’s license with endorsements for the Viscount and instrument flying. He had amassed 1,139 flight hours in total, with approximately 900 hours on Viscounts. The cabin crew consisted of two stewardesses: Ann Kelly and Mary Coughlan.

Victims

Nationality	Total
Belgium	6
Ireland	33
Switzerland	9
Sweden	2
United Kingdom	5
United States	2

All 61 individuals aboard the plane perished, including the national chess champion Noel Mulcahy. Only fourteen bodies were recovered from the St George's Channel subsequent to the accident.

Investigation

A formal investigation report was compiled in 1970. Between 1998 and 2000, a comprehensive review was conducted, followed by the commissioning of an independent analysis in 2000.

Cause

Numerous reports have explored possible explanations for the crash, suggesting factors such as a bird strike, structural deterioration like corrosion, or an impact involving a target drone or missile. The latter scenarios were considered due to the nearby presence of Aberporth in western Wales, which was then Britain's leading missile testing facility.

In subsequent years, several eyewitnesses supported the missile collision hypothesis. Among them was a crew member from the British vessel HMS Penelope, who claimed that some recovered debris had been transported to the United Kingdom.

Nevertheless, a 2002 examination by the Air Accident Investigation Unit revealed that documentation from Aer Lingus concerning a routine maintenance check performed on the aircraft in December 1967 was missing by 1968. Additionally, extensive research was carried out post-accident regarding the maintenance schedule for EI-AOM and defects identified through maintenance record analysis. This information was absent from the original 1970 report. Subsequently, a new investigative panel appointed by the Irish Government concluded that the accident likely resulted from a sequence of events beginning with failure of the left tail-plane, potentially caused by metal fatigue, corrosion, flutter, or a bird strike. The most probable cause identified was flutter-induced fatigue failure affecting the elevator trim tab mechanism.

In March 2007, retired Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Eric Evers made an unsubstantiated allegation that the crash resulted from a mid-air collision between the Aer Lingus Vickers Viscount and a French military aircraft training with the Irish Air Corps. Evers asserted he possessed evidence that a Fouga Magister trainer collided with the Viscount while inspecting its undercarriage, which allegedly failed to lock properly. He further claimed both Magister pilots survived by ejecting; however, Magisters are not equipped with ejector seats. Evers also suggested collusion between French and Irish authorities to conceal the truth. These assertions have been firmly rejected by other experts. For instance, pilot and author Mike Reynolds, who wrote Tragedy at Tuskar Rock, refuted Evers’ theory and endorsed the conclusions of a 2002 French/Australian investigation that dismissed any collision with another aircraft or missile. This study, in which Reynolds served as Irish assistant, proposed causes including structural failure, corrosion, metal fatigue, flutter, or bird strike. An official spokesperson for the Irish Defence Forces also dismissed Evers’ claims as "spurious," emphasizing there was no evidence of an Irish Air Corps aircraft nearby at the time and noting that Magisters did not enter Irish service until 1976.

Legacy

In August 2006, a commemorative park was inaugurated in the heart of Rosslare Harbour village. The project was initiated and financed by the local Rosslare Harbour/Kilrane Environment Group, who invested €90,000. This funding included two grants of €25,000 each from The Wexford Organisation for Rural Development (WORD) and Wexford County Council, with the remaining amount raised by the community group. The park’s focal point is a stone sculpture crafted by Niall Deacon from Enniscorthy, positioned in a water feature. It incorporates three panels symbolizing the Viscount’s portholes during its descent, alongside a chain composed of 61 links representing the individuals who lost their lives.

Despite customary airline practice to retire flight numbers after accidents, Aer Lingus maintained the use of this flight number for a daily service between Cork and London Heathrow. This route is operated using an aircraft from the Airbus A320 series. Following a request made by the son of one of the victims, the flight number EI712 was ultimately retired on Saturday, 22 March 2025.

See also

• Manx2 Flight 7100, which in 2011 became the deadliest aviation disaster involving Irish interests since Aer Lingus Flight 712

External links

• Air Accident Investigation Unit report (1970 report)
• Official announcement of renewed crash investigation (2000 press release)
• Summary release of findings from new investigation (2002 report)