An Irish Coast Guard Sikorsky S-92A, designated Rescue 116 and being operated by CHC, crashed into the sea at 1 a.m. local time Tuesday morning on approach to refuel six miles west of Blacksod after being dispatched from Dublin. Capt. Dara Fitzpatrick was recovered but later died in the hospital. The three other crewmembers were still missing this morning and presumed dead. They include chief pilot Mark Duffy and winchmen Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith.

Rescuers who arrived on scene approximately 75 minutes after the accident reported a wide debris field. Sky conditions were reported as "moonlit" and "not that bad." Rescue 116 was flying cover for another Coast Guard S-92 that had been dispatched from Sligo to conduct a medical evacuation from a UK-registered fishing vessel 150 miles west of Eagle Island in County Mayo.

The accident helicopter was equipped with a system capable of storing health usage and monitoring system (HUMS) data, a CHC spokesman told AIN.