The Captain of MANX2 Flight 7100, the Swearingen SW226 Metroliner that crashed on Thursday morning in Cork, Ireland, was taking charge of one of his 1st flights as a Captain. Jordi Sola Lopez, 31 and from Spain, was an experienced Co-Pilot and had only recently begun flying where he had overall control of a plane. (Lopez is pictured below on the crash aircraft as the Co-Pilot on the inaugural flight to Cork last September). The Co-Pilot, Andrew Cantle, who was from Sunderland, Ireland, had only started working for the carrier 2 weeks ago. Flight 7100 was on Domestic Service from Belfast to Cork, and was making its 3rd attempt at landing when it slammed into the runway at 9:52am, burst into flames and catapulted into the air. Of those onboard, 4 passengers and both Pilots were killed in the crash, while 6 passengers survived with injuries. 4 of those injured remain in serious, but stable, condition at a Cork hospital. Officials said 1 of the survivors was sitting directly behind the Pilot.
The chairman of Manx2, Noel Hayes, said the 19 year old aircraft had no recent technical issues and had undergone a routine maintenance check last week. The SW4 that crashed is the only one the carrier uses and it was only used on the Belfast-Cork route. It had been on lease to Manx2 from FLIGHTLINE. According to media reports, the investigation is focusing on why the crew attempted to land 3 times. Hayes denied reports that the crew was under pressure not to return to Belfast after encountering the dense fog. The crash probe is led by the Irish AAIU and includes experts from Britain, Spain and the United States. The team has promised to publish a Preliminary Report within a month, and last night the Deputy Chief Inspector revealed that they're already satisfied they have a reasonably clear picture of the final movements of the plane as it crashed, although "not yet the full jigsaw". However, the Final Report could take more than a year to complete, given the serious legal and financial implications of the accident. The wreckage was removed from the runway area by 5:00pm yesterday and was moved to a nearby hanger. Cork Airport has resumed normal operations today.
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