Cork air crash victim’s medal honour
Pat Cullinan who was killed in the Cork air crash.
A TYRONE businessman killed in the Cork air crash a year ago today is to have a special award dedicated to his memory by his work colleagues.
Pat Cullinan, a partner in accountancy firm KPMG, was one of six people who died when the ill-fated Manx2 plane crashed in thick fog at Cork Airport on February 10, 2011.
The 45-year-old, originally from Plumbridge, will be remembered with a new annual examination prize medal.
The Pat Cullinan Memorial Medal will be awarded each year to the Northern Ireland candidate who achieves the highest marks in the Chartered Institute of Taxation [CIOT] exams.
KPMG managing partner Terence O’Rourke said: “Pat’s tragic death came as a terrible shock to everyone – especially to those in our Belfast office as well as to the many throughout KPMG who knew Pat as both a friend and colleague.
“The inauguration of this medal by the CIOT is a very fitting tribute to Pat’s memory and, in particular, his talents and professionalism.
“On his anniversary, our thoughts and prayers are with Pat’s family and friends.”
Anthony Thomas, president of the CIOT, added: “We hope that this medal will help bring some comfort to all who knew Pat and most especially his family, and that it will help refresh memories of Pat each time it is awarded.”
Earlier this week, it was revealed that problems have been identified with one of the engines on the plane.
Data from the flight recorder, taken 106 hours before the accident, shows a mismatch between the power delivered from either side of the aircraft.
The flight from Belfast crashed on its third attempt to land.
An interim statement from Ireland’s Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) has said there were no pre-accident defects identified with the engines.
But in a technical summary to mark 12 months since the tragedy it revealed that there was a control component issue on one of the engines.
It found the No 2 engine was giving out up to five per cent more power than No 1.
The AAIU said its investigation was ongoing and a final report will be issued in due course.
The other people who died were: Brendan McAleese, 39, a businessman in Tyrone; Captain Michael Evans, 51, deputy harbour master in Belfast; Richard Noble, a 49-year-old businessman who was originally from Derbyshire but lived in Ulster; English co-pilot Andrew Cantle, 27, from Sunderland; and pilot Jordi Gola Lopez, 31, from Spain.
In a interview last week, Laurence Wilson from Larne, one of the six survivors, said he lived daily with the trauma of the crash.
“I have never flown since. I should have done on many occasions and I haven’t done it. I can’t say I would never fly again, but who knows,” said Mr Wilson
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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