Emergency services including water search and rescue crews were placed on standby early this morning after a private jet made an emergency at Shannon Airport.
The Dassault Falcon 900 jet was travelling from Pittsburgh in the United States to Cologne in Germany at the time. While the jet was west of Ireland at around, the crew reported a ‘fire indication’ on board and requested clearance to divert to Shannon Airport. It’s understood there were three people on board.
Air traffic controllers at Shannon implemented emergency procedures which involved alerting the local authority fire service. Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon and Ennis stations responded to Shannon in support of the airport’s own fire and rescue service.
The National Ambulance Service, An Garda Síochána and Irish Coast Guard were also alerted as part of the emergency response. The Coast Guard requested the Limerick Marine Service and Rescue Service to respond. The volunteer unit’s base is on the River Shannon and was placed on standby as a precaution.
At the airport, fire and rescue vehicles were deployed to designated holding positions adjacent to the runway ahead of the jet’s arrival.
The jet flew up the Shannon Estuary onto the easterly runway landing safely at 5.28am. The flight crew asked tower controllers whether they could see any visual evidence of smoke or fire from the aircraft. Controllers confirmed there was no sign of either.
The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped on a taxiway to allow fire crews undertake a visual inspection of the aircraft. When fire officers confirmed there was no evidence of smoke or fire, the jet taxied to its parking stand accompanied by rescue vehicles.
It’s understood the fire indication was caused by a faulty sensor.
