An investigation has been launched after a door fell from an Air Corps helicopter and landed at a Clondalkin school.
Nobody was injured in the incident.
Locals in Moyle Park raised the alarm with Gardaí at around 18:20 today.
The Defence Forces confirmed that the door detached from the craft at 17:52 this evening.
"The rear door of an Emergency Aeromedical Service helicopter detached while returning to Casement Aerodrome and landed in Moyle Park, Clondalkin."
"Nobody on the ground, or in the air, was injured in the incident."
"The crew of the AW139 helicopter had successfully completed a life saving mission to a Dublin hospital and were returning to Baldonnel for fuel.
Members of the Army and Gardaí attended the grounds where the door landed within five minutes.
An Investigation Team was in place within a half hour.
Posts on the I Grew Up In Clondalkin Facebook group showed the large door in the grounds of Moyle Park College.
BREAKING - Investigation under way after side door of an EC 139 Irish Air Corps helicopter fell from 800ft and landed in a park in south Dublin. More to follow @IrishSunOnline pic.twitter.com/bBmjPzqH7I
— Stephen Breen (@SteBreen) May 21, 2020
Helicopter Door: Gardaí At The Scene
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that they attended the scene:
"A number of witnesses contacted Gardaí in Clondalkin to confirm a large item landed in the grounds of Moyle Park College."
The Sergeant reiterated, "No persons were injured. Gardaí remain at scene."
2020 just gets weirder and weirder https://t.co/9zf7Jrmlq9
— Tom Douglas (@TomDouglas95) May 21, 2020
"Cannot Afford To Gamble" With Safety
Local Fianna Fáil Councillor Shane Moynihan says he's glad nobody was hurt.
"Thankfully, no one was hurt as a result of incident. However, Moyle Park is in the centre of Clondalkin village so it's important that an investigation determines what happened and prevents such a thing happening again."
He added that assurances must be made that the safety of Defence Forces members is not put at risk by faulty equipment.
"We can not afford to gamble with their safety or that of the public. It is therefore vital that the equipment used by our Defence Forces is fit for purpose."
The header image on this post is a file photo.
