THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sat Jan 26, 2019 1:34 pm
Over three days three planes, five helicopters and two lifeboats searched for a combined 80 hours for the missing aircraft
Saturday 26th January 2019
Over three days three planes, five helicopters and two lifeboats searched for a combined 80 hours for the missing aircraft
On Tuesday morning the eyes of the world turned to the English Channel as news broke that a plane had disappeared over the ocean after radar contact was lost off the coast of Alderney.
By the time Argentine striker Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson were confirmed to be the two people on board, search teams had already been mobilised and searching for hours.
As pressure mounted and time wore on, efforts were renewed as volunteers took to the air and seas again and again.
Now, after the difficult decision was taken to end the search, those involved have spoken to us about what it was like being inside the desperate centre of unfolding tragedy.
Run entirely by volunteers, the Channel Islands Air Search operates in an area "notorious" for strong tides, changeable weather, large seas and submerged reefs.
Many who dedicate their time to help are serving airline pilots, who, in their spare time, will take to the air to help coast guards in the Channel Islands as well as off the French and English coasts.
On Monday night the team scrambled to their hangar at Guernsey Airport within half an hour of being notified that the aircraft had disappeared.
John Fitzgerald, chief officer at Channel Islands Air search, said: "This has to be the largest search we have assisted with.
"We were certainly on scene very quickly, about 30 minutes from when it was notified that the aircraft had disappeared.
"We have worked in looking for other aircraft and have found the position of them relatively quickly, but every circumstance is different with each search.
"If there were things to find then they would have been found by now."
As the first hours of the search wore on, conditions worsened.
Channel Islands Air Search chief officer John Fitzgerald (Image: John Fitzgerald)
On Monday night lifeboats from Peter Port and Alderney were mobilised along with two Coastguard helicopters to search an area based on the aircraft's likely location.
But with strengthening winds, worsening sea conditions and reduced visibility, the decision was taken at 2am to return to shore and resume six hours later - this time with two helicopters, two planes and one lifeboat.
John said: "We are tasked by the search agency responsible for the incident, in this case the Guernsey Coastguard.
"[In a search like this] the adrenaline runs fast, the crew are very aware of the situation and are eager to go, so we have to slow them down a little so that they can understand the situation before we get airborne.
"Each search team always hopes to be the one that finds what we are looking for."
By the end of Tuesday afternoon, 1,155 square miles had been searched.
After a 15-hour operation a number of floating objects were seen in the water, but search teams were unable to confirm whether they were from the missing aircraft.
The Alderney Lifeboat returns to the island for a crew change before going back out to sea (Image: RNLI Alderney)
Nine flights were completed by the air search team (Image: Jonathan Le Ray)
Speaking at the time, the air search officer described the chance of finding survivors as "more and more unlikely".
John said: "Apart from looking for the main items, aircraft, people, life rafts, we also look for what you don’t expect to find.
"The plastic problem in the sea these days does cause issues in that respect, there is so much of it in the sea that we have to spend time examining and probably discounting."
He added: "As the flights were mainly in the daytime, the searches were visual. Technology is good, but the human eye is usually much better.
"The sea has generally been moderate to rough with white breaking waves that don’t help a visual search. The wind has gusted up to 42 knots, there have been wintery showers, but the visibility has remained good."
In total, nine flights were carried out by the Channel Islands Air Search - each ranging between two and three and a half hours in length in between crew changes and refuels.
As day two of the search began, Guernsey Harbour Master Captain David Barker told the world's media that the search had narrowed to four possibilities.
This included theories that the men had landed but not made contact, landed on water and were picked up by a passing ship, landed on water and made it on to a life raft on board, or that the aircraft had broken up, leaving the pair in the sea.
While planes continued the search by air, it fell to the work of the RNLI and Guernsey Coastguards to check the area by boat - taking on strenuous 10-hour shifts at a time.
The Alderney lifeboat crew taking part in the search (Image: RNLI Alderney)
Members of the RNLI team have been balancing the search with other jobs (Image: RNLI Alderney)
Re-established in 1984, the Alderney Lifeboat Station now houses equipment for its 20-strong volunteer crew along with their all weather lifeboat, Roy Barker 1.
"The conditions have been quite demanding. When carrying out the search the majority of the crew were positioned outside on the upper helm position, which totally exposes them to the elements," Mark Gaudion, Alderney RNLI deputy second coxswain, said.
"On this particular search we were exposed to rough see conditions, and 1.5m swells, heavy hail showers and squalls.
"Searching at night is very taxing as the only lighting is from the search lights on the lifeboat, which limits your visual range."
By Wednesday afternoon a further 280 square miles had been targeted using search teams from the Channel Islands, France and UK.
For some, the operations came alongside full-time jobs and family commitments as dedicated volunteers returned to the water.
Mark said: "There were several crew changes during the three days of searching.
"This involved long shifts of up to 10 hours with some crews spending longer at sea over the three days.
"Crew members would not be able to carry out their voluntary roles without the support and understanding of their families and employees.
"Sometimes, like on this occasion, it can be very intense, but as crew members of the RNLI, we know that this is what we sign up for."
As Thursday dawned rescuers turned their attention to a coastal search of Burhou, the Casquets, Alderney, the north coast of the Cherbourg Peninsula, north coast of Jersey and then back over Sark.
In particular, attention was turned to Burhou Island - a small, uninhabited island about 1.4 miles northwest of Alderney.
It followed after fans began to share pictures of what they believe could be distress flares coming from the direction the piece of land.
However, despite a search on foot, no trace of the aircraft or those on board has been found.
At 3.15pm on Thursday afternoon a final statement was issued from Harbour Master Captain David Barker.
Despite the efforts from everyone involved, the final aircraft searching for the missing plane was returned.
After 24 hours of continuous searching, and 80 hours of combined flying time across three planes, five helicopters and two lifeboats, the call was made to stop actively searching for the plane.
He said: "My team have just met to review the search and rescue operation which has been underway since the plane disappeared on Monday night.
"We reviewed all the information available to us, as well as knowing what emergency equipment was on board, and have taken the difficult decision to end the search.
"Next of kin have been informed of this development, and my thoughts go out to the family of the pilot and passenger at this most difficult of times.
Saturday 26th January 2019
Over three days three planes, five helicopters and two lifeboats searched for a combined 80 hours for the missing aircraft
On Tuesday morning the eyes of the world turned to the English Channel as news broke that a plane had disappeared over the ocean after radar contact was lost off the coast of Alderney.
By the time Argentine striker Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson were confirmed to be the two people on board, search teams had already been mobilised and searching for hours.
As pressure mounted and time wore on, efforts were renewed as volunteers took to the air and seas again and again.
Now, after the difficult decision was taken to end the search, those involved have spoken to us about what it was like being inside the desperate centre of unfolding tragedy.
Run entirely by volunteers, the Channel Islands Air Search operates in an area "notorious" for strong tides, changeable weather, large seas and submerged reefs.
Many who dedicate their time to help are serving airline pilots, who, in their spare time, will take to the air to help coast guards in the Channel Islands as well as off the French and English coasts.
On Monday night the team scrambled to their hangar at Guernsey Airport within half an hour of being notified that the aircraft had disappeared.
John Fitzgerald, chief officer at Channel Islands Air search, said: "This has to be the largest search we have assisted with.
"We were certainly on scene very quickly, about 30 minutes from when it was notified that the aircraft had disappeared.
"We have worked in looking for other aircraft and have found the position of them relatively quickly, but every circumstance is different with each search.
"If there were things to find then they would have been found by now."
As the first hours of the search wore on, conditions worsened.
Channel Islands Air Search chief officer John Fitzgerald (Image: John Fitzgerald)
On Monday night lifeboats from Peter Port and Alderney were mobilised along with two Coastguard helicopters to search an area based on the aircraft's likely location.
But with strengthening winds, worsening sea conditions and reduced visibility, the decision was taken at 2am to return to shore and resume six hours later - this time with two helicopters, two planes and one lifeboat.
John said: "We are tasked by the search agency responsible for the incident, in this case the Guernsey Coastguard.
"[In a search like this] the adrenaline runs fast, the crew are very aware of the situation and are eager to go, so we have to slow them down a little so that they can understand the situation before we get airborne.
"Each search team always hopes to be the one that finds what we are looking for."
By the end of Tuesday afternoon, 1,155 square miles had been searched.
After a 15-hour operation a number of floating objects were seen in the water, but search teams were unable to confirm whether they were from the missing aircraft.
The Alderney Lifeboat returns to the island for a crew change before going back out to sea (Image: RNLI Alderney)
Nine flights were completed by the air search team (Image: Jonathan Le Ray)
Speaking at the time, the air search officer described the chance of finding survivors as "more and more unlikely".
John said: "Apart from looking for the main items, aircraft, people, life rafts, we also look for what you don’t expect to find.
"The plastic problem in the sea these days does cause issues in that respect, there is so much of it in the sea that we have to spend time examining and probably discounting."
He added: "As the flights were mainly in the daytime, the searches were visual. Technology is good, but the human eye is usually much better.
"The sea has generally been moderate to rough with white breaking waves that don’t help a visual search. The wind has gusted up to 42 knots, there have been wintery showers, but the visibility has remained good."
In total, nine flights were carried out by the Channel Islands Air Search - each ranging between two and three and a half hours in length in between crew changes and refuels.
As day two of the search began, Guernsey Harbour Master Captain David Barker told the world's media that the search had narrowed to four possibilities.
This included theories that the men had landed but not made contact, landed on water and were picked up by a passing ship, landed on water and made it on to a life raft on board, or that the aircraft had broken up, leaving the pair in the sea.
While planes continued the search by air, it fell to the work of the RNLI and Guernsey Coastguards to check the area by boat - taking on strenuous 10-hour shifts at a time.
The Alderney lifeboat crew taking part in the search (Image: RNLI Alderney)
Members of the RNLI team have been balancing the search with other jobs (Image: RNLI Alderney)
Re-established in 1984, the Alderney Lifeboat Station now houses equipment for its 20-strong volunteer crew along with their all weather lifeboat, Roy Barker 1.
"The conditions have been quite demanding. When carrying out the search the majority of the crew were positioned outside on the upper helm position, which totally exposes them to the elements," Mark Gaudion, Alderney RNLI deputy second coxswain, said.
"On this particular search we were exposed to rough see conditions, and 1.5m swells, heavy hail showers and squalls.
"Searching at night is very taxing as the only lighting is from the search lights on the lifeboat, which limits your visual range."
By Wednesday afternoon a further 280 square miles had been targeted using search teams from the Channel Islands, France and UK.
For some, the operations came alongside full-time jobs and family commitments as dedicated volunteers returned to the water.
Mark said: "There were several crew changes during the three days of searching.
"This involved long shifts of up to 10 hours with some crews spending longer at sea over the three days.
"Crew members would not be able to carry out their voluntary roles without the support and understanding of their families and employees.
"Sometimes, like on this occasion, it can be very intense, but as crew members of the RNLI, we know that this is what we sign up for."
As Thursday dawned rescuers turned their attention to a coastal search of Burhou, the Casquets, Alderney, the north coast of the Cherbourg Peninsula, north coast of Jersey and then back over Sark.
In particular, attention was turned to Burhou Island - a small, uninhabited island about 1.4 miles northwest of Alderney.
It followed after fans began to share pictures of what they believe could be distress flares coming from the direction the piece of land.
However, despite a search on foot, no trace of the aircraft or those on board has been found.
At 3.15pm on Thursday afternoon a final statement was issued from Harbour Master Captain David Barker.
Despite the efforts from everyone involved, the final aircraft searching for the missing plane was returned.
After 24 hours of continuous searching, and 80 hours of combined flying time across three planes, five helicopters and two lifeboats, the call was made to stop actively searching for the plane.
He said: "My team have just met to review the search and rescue operation which has been underway since the plane disappeared on Monday night.
"We reviewed all the information available to us, as well as knowing what emergency equipment was on board, and have taken the difficult decision to end the search.
"Next of kin have been informed of this development, and my thoughts go out to the family of the pilot and passenger at this most difficult of times.
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Re: THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sat Jan 26, 2019 2:17 pm
That's a very good and full explanation of the reality of the situation, which I don't think people generally understand.
The most important point is that there's no point whatever in continuing or repeating the search , even though the general public have an understandable emotional response that this should go on longer. We must remember the risk to human life in such operations and therefore it would be quite wrong to continue it without any possibility of finding anything.
They've been too honest for public tastes really, because they could have just flown a light aircraft or two around for a few more days in a charade to satisfy all the demands , but it would have been quite pointless.
The most important point is that there's no point whatever in continuing or repeating the search , even though the general public have an understandable emotional response that this should go on longer. We must remember the risk to human life in such operations and therefore it would be quite wrong to continue it without any possibility of finding anything.
They've been too honest for public tastes really, because they could have just flown a light aircraft or two around for a few more days in a charade to satisfy all the demands , but it would have been quite pointless.
Re: THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:42 pm
SirJimmySchoular wrote:That's a very good and full explanation of the reality of the situation, which I don't think people generally understand.
The most important point is that there's no point whatever in continuing or repeating the search , even though the general public have an understandable emotional response that this should go on longer. We must remember the risk to human life in such operations and therefore it would be quite wrong to continue it without any possibility of finding anything.
They've been too honest for public tastes really, because they could have just flown a light aircraft or two around for a few more days in a charade to satisfy all the demands , but it would have been quite pointless.
I thought the same, very interesting read.
Answered a lot of questions many wanted to know.
Re: THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:03 pm
Live next door to st David's RNLI coxain and the conditions he goes out in are terrifying to say least with frequent 60mph gales at this time year! 
Re: THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sun Jan 27, 2019 11:54 am
pembroke allan wrote:Live next door to st David's RNLI coxain and the conditions he goes out in are terrifying to say least with frequent 60mph gales at this time year!
These people are absolute heroes and 'do' whilst others just 'talk'
Re: THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:17 pm
Sven wrote:pembroke allan wrote:Live next door to st David's RNLI coxain and the conditions he goes out in are terrifying to say least with frequent 60mph gales at this time year!
These people are absolute heroes and 'do' whilst others just 'talk'
Yes shows how bad it gets Iast night my 13ft×10ft metal shed as ended up 40ft away lucky a tree got in way or my neighbour would have it in his holiday home!
Re: THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:41 pm
SirJimmySchoular wrote:That's a very good and full explanation of the reality of the situation, which I don't think people generally understand.
The most important point is that there's no point whatever in continuing or repeating the search , even though the general public have an understandable emotional response that this should go on longer. We must remember the risk to human life in such operations and therefore it would be quite wrong to continue it without any possibility of finding anything.
They've been too honest for public tastes really, because they could have just flown a light aircraft or two around for a few more days in a charade to satisfy all the demands , but it would have been quite pointless.
the chances of finding him after even one day were almost zero.
still, the search is now being funded privately, and mainly with contributions from footballers in france who can afford to pay, so even if it is almost impossible to find him alive now, there are different considerations to continuing the search.
Re: THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sun Jan 27, 2019 4:46 pm
Tough search it is for sure 
Re: THE STORY OF HOW THE RESCUERS WERE THERE IN 30 MINS
Sun Jan 27, 2019 5:52 pm
SirJimmySchoular wrote:That's a very good and full explanation of the reality of the situation, which I don't think people generally understand.
The most important point is that there's no point whatever in continuing or repeating the search , even though the general public have an understandable emotional response that this should go on longer. We must remember the risk to human life in such operations and therefore it would be quite wrong to continue it without any possibility of finding anything.
They've been too honest for public tastes really, because they could have just flown a light aircraft or two around for a few more days in a charade to satisfy all the demands , but it would have been quite pointless.
There is a point to the search and that is to lay there son to rest or find him alive.
Search and rescue are based on percentage if possibilities and funding to that percentage.
In this case there is a slim chance of finding survivors and most probable cause is death. Until the plane is found that would require a mini or micro submarine depending on money they may have a state of the art machine now explorers are involed.
Main goal is to find the plane