Dara Fitzpatrick (15 October 1971 – 14 March 2017) was the

Irish Coast Guard The Irish Coast Guard (IRCG; ga, Garda Cósta na hÉireann ) is part of the Department of Transport of Ireland. The primary roles of the Coast Guard include maritime safety and search and rescue. The ''Irish Marine Search and Rescue Region'' (I ...

's most senior helicopter search and rescue pilot. As a Captain, she piloted the

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

-based Rescue 116 helicopter. She was killed in the 2017 Irish Coast Guard Rescue 116 crash in March 2017.

Background

Fitzpatrick had originally wanted to join

Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish , meaning "air fleet" compare Welsh 'llynges awyr') is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidia ...

, but didn't get accepted. The

Irish Air Corps "Watchful and Loyal" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = ''see list of wars'' , decorations = , battle_honours = , battle_honours_label = , fl ...

was hiring pilots, so she began taking helicopter lessons. She was one of the first women to pilot an aircraft for the Irish Marine Emergency Service, the precursor to the Coast Guard. She was initially stationed with the

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-based search and rescue team, before transferring to

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

in 2002 where she became chief pilot of the Rescue 117 helicopter, a

Sikorsky S-61 The Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N are civil variants of the SH-3 Sea King military helicopter. It was developed and produced by the American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The commercial version of the Sea King was developed during th ...

N. She later joined the Dublin Coast Guard crew and was pilot in charge of Rescue 116, a

Sikorsky S-92 The Sikorsky S-92 is an American twin-engine medium-lift helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft for the civil and military helicopter markets. The S-92 was developed from the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter and has similar parts such as flight contro ...

A. In 2010, Fitzpatrick and her crew received the "Best of Irish Award" for rescuing an airplane pilot who had crashed into the Irish Sea. In August 2013, Fitzpatrick and her colleague, Captain Carmel Kirby, made Irish aviation history when they crewed the first all-female mission in the Irish Coast Guard helicopter service. In 2007, she created a video with the Irish Bishops’ Conference, on the theme of "alcohol and the challenge of moderation." She was also known for her starring role in ''Rescue 117'', a 2011 documentary series on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

which gave behind-the-scenes access to the helicopter search and rescue service.

Death

EI-ICR, Sikorsky S92, Irish Coast Guard, Callsign

Fitzpatrick died after her search and rescue team's helicopter, Rescue 116, crashed into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

while providing top cover for the

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

-based search and rescue helicopter, Rescue 118, during a rescue mission off the west coast of

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Coun ...

, Ireland. Fitzpatrick was found and later pronounced dead at

Mayo University Hospital Mayo University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Mhaigh Eo) is a general hospital in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. It is managed by Saolta University Health Care Group. History The hospital has its origins in the Mayo County Hospital which ...

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wit ...

. The body belonging to one of the missing crew was found in the cockpit section of the aircraft on 24 March by Navy divers and it was retrieved on 26 March after which it was identified as that of co-pilot Captain Mark Duffy. Two other members of the crew, Winchman Ciarán Smith and Winch Operator Paul Ormsby remained missing and memorial services were held for them in May 2017 and June 2017 respectively. The search and recovery operation was scaled back after April 2017. Her funeral took place on 18 March and she was buried.

Legacy

The band U2 paid tribute to Dara Fitzpatrick at a concert in July 2017. Heli Operations, a British helicopter training and crew supply firm named one of their Sea King helicopters 'Dara' after Captain Fitzpatrick. The circumstances surrounding Dara Fitzpatrick's death was featured in the

program ''2017: A Year in Review''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, Dara 1970s births 2017 deaths People from Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Helicopter pilots Irish women aviators