The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB ENG06WA011 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Robinson R44 accident near Slieve Aughty Mountains, Co Galway, Ireland, Ei, September 7, 2005

On September 7, 2005 at about 10:44 am local time, a Robinson R44 (helicopter), registered EIDOC, was destroyed in an accident near Slieve Aughty Mountains, Co Galway, Ireland (Galway airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
September 7, 2005 · about 10:44 am local time
Place
Slieve Aughty Mountains, Co Galway, Ireland, EI · Galway
Type
Accident
Injuries
2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Robinson R44 II · all R44s on the register
Registration
EIDOC · no longer on the register
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: fixed

The flight

  • Departed from: New Ross
  • Destination: GWY Galway
  • Flight plan: VFR

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1
Passengers11

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.

Other NTSB records under EIDOC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

2005-07-09LAX05WA234 · accident near Derrybrien · destroyed · fatal

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.