Irish Air Disaster - Evidence of Brit Missile Emerges Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit RTw 05/21/99 07:19 Copyright 1999 Reuters Ltd Irish Air Crash Group Says It Has Missile Evidence By Tony Roddam DUBLIN, May 21 (Reuters) - Relatives of the victims of a fatal plane crash off the Irish coast 31 years ago said on Friday they had uncovered evidence to support claims the Aer Lingus flight was brought down by a missile. Michael Burke, a member of the Tuskar Rock Relatives Action Group, told Reuters the group had taken a statement from an Irish naval officer who said a missile part was recovered from near the crash scene on the day of the disaster. Aer Lingus flight 712 from the southern Irish city of Cork to London crashed on March 24, 1968, plummeting 17,000 feet into the sea near Tuskar Rock off Ireland's southeast coast. All 61 crew and passengers on board died. Some relatives have suggested a stray test missile from a British military range in Wales could have caused the crash. The cause not been determined and there has been recurring speculation of a cover-up -- strongly denied -- by British or Irish authorities. Relatives of the victims have been pressing Aer Lingus, the Irish flag-carrier which owned the Viscount plane, and the government to release all the documents about the crash. On Monday, British and Irish air accident experts will meet in London to review the evidence relating to the crash. Relatives' representatives have not been invited to the meeting. The British embassy in Dublin said it could not comment on the specifics of the relatives' statement and reiterated that British authorities were not responsible for the crash. It noted that some pieces trawled up during the search and salvage operations were taken temporarily to Britain for identification before being returned to Ireland. "These issues are being discussed in the context of the ongoing technical discussions between the UK and Ireland. This information does not change our consistently held position that we had no involvement in the accident," the spokesman said. Burke said the two-metre (two-yard) long missile part was found floating by a trawler, which was subsequently boarded by Irish and British naval officers from two ships near the crash area. The missile part was handed over to the British officer. Burke, 50, who lost his mother and grandmother in the crash, said the Irish naval officer, who he declined to name, had not realised the significance of the find at the time. Burke said trawlers regularly dredged up missile parts in their nets in that area but it was unusual to find a part floating. British defence ministry officials have said the Welsh military base would have been closed that day, a Sunday. The possibility of an airborne object striking the plane was aired briefly in the inconclusive official crash report. Burke said he believed the author was trying to signal the existence of a cover-up. Of four crew and 57 passengers, comprising Irish, British, Belgian, Swiss and Americans, only 14 bodies were recovered. There has been speculation some bodies were taken away or left on the seabed because they would show evidence of an explosion. Burke said the relatives were now considering the possibility of legal action. "If the British and Irish don't do something about this, we will bring it to court. But we will give them time to sort it, court would be our last resort." ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-05.23.99-01:14:55-27263