US embassy cable - 85DUBLIN2469

UNCLAS DUBLIN 02469 
 
E.O.  12356:  N/A 
TAGS:  EAIR, ICAO, CA, EI, IN, VI 
SUBJECT:  BOEING 747 CRASH OFF IRISH COAST 
 
1.  BEGIN SUMMARY:  ON JUNE 23, AT 0813 A BOEING 747 
JET (AIR INDIA 182) ENROUTE FROM MONTREAL TO BOMBAY WITH 
325 PASSENGERS AND CREW ON BOARD CRASHED SOME 80 MILES 
OFF THE IRISH COAST.  THERE ARE NO KNOWN SURVIVORS. 
RECOVERY OPERATIONS CONTINUE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  ON JUNE 24 THE IRISH DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
SENT THE FOLLOWING NOTICE TO THE U.S. EMBASSY. 
 
QUOTE:  THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS REGRETS TO HAVE 
TO INFORM THE EMBASSY AS FOLLOWS: 
 
A BOEING 747 AIRCRAFT OF AIR INDIA, COUNTRY OF MANU- 
FACTURE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WAS LOST ON 23 JUNE 
1985 AT 0713 HOURS GMT (UTC), AT 51 DEGREES N 12.05 
DEGREES W.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLIGHT AI 182 FROM MONTREAL 
TO LONDON.  THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE (325) PERSONS WERE 
ABOARD.  THE REGISTRATION NUMBER WAS VTEFO.  BODIES AND 
RECOVERAGE HAVE BEEN OBSERVED.  AS OF THE PRESENT TIME, 
1900 HOURS, 23 JUNE, APPROXIMATELY 60 BODIES HAVE BEEN 
RECOVERED AND ARE BEING LANDED IN IRELAND AT CORK.  NO 
SURVIVORS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED.  THE PRESENT NOTE IS SENT 
IN ACCORDANCE WITH ICAO, AND IS BASED ON CURRENT 
INFORMATION.  UNQUOTE. 
 
3.  MEDIA REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE BOEING 747 (AIR INDIA 
182) FLYING FROM MONTREAL TO NEW DELHI AND BOMBAY WITH A 
PLANNED REFUELING STOP AT LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT, AT 
0800 HOURS ON JUNE 23 ENTERED THE SHANNON AIR TRAFFIC 
CONTROL AREA.  AT 0813 THE PLANE DISAPPEARED FROM THE 
RADAR SCREEN.  AIR INDIA 182 CRASHED INTO THE ATLANTIC 
APPROXIMATELY 80 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE KERRY COAST. 
TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY EIGHT OF THESE WERE CANADIAN CITIZENS 
AND THE REMAINDER WERE PRESUMABLY INDIAN CITIZENS.  (WE 
HAVE CHECKED WITH DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THE 
CANADIAN EMBASSY, WHICH HAS A MANIFEST OF THE PASSENGERS 
ON BOARD AI 182, AND BOTH INDICATE THAT NO US CITIZENS 
SEEM TO HAVE BEEN ON BOARD THE CRAFT). 
 
4.  THERE HAD BEEN NO INDICATION OF CONCERN FROM THE 
AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO ITS DISAPPEARANCE FROM THE RADAR SCREEN. 
THE PLANE'S WREAKAGE WAS SPREAD OVER A FOUR TO FIVE MILE 
AREA.  FOLLOWING THE CRASH THE SHANNON MARINE RESCUE 
CENTER INITIATED AN INTERNATIONAL RESCUE MISSION IN 
COOPERATION WITH THE IRISH AIR CORPS, RAF, AND US ARMY 
ELEMENTS.  THESE RESCUE AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS CONTINUED 
THROUGHOUT JUNE 23 UNTIL 11:00 P.M. AT NIGHT RECOVERING 
BODIES.  AS OF MONDAY, JUNE 24, SOME 70 BODIES HAD BEEN 
RECOVERED AND TRANSPORTED TO TEMPORARY MORTUARY FACILITIES 
IN THE CORK AREA. 
 
5.  IRISH AND INDIAN AIR SAFETY OFFICIALS ARE NOW INVESTI- 
GATING THE AIRCRAFT DISASTER WITH MOST EXPERTS ALLEGING A 
BOMB AS THE MOST PROBABLE CAUSE. 
 
 
BOYLE