Lucky escape for Ahern as lightning hits jet second time

Local & National

Friday, April 11, 2008

Lightning does strike twice - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had a lucky escape yesterday when his plane was hit en route to Northern Ireland.

In the second such incident in recent years, the Irish Government jet was on its final approach to Belfast Airport at 2pm when it was struck.

There was a huge flash and the plane shook when it was hit as it descended through dark cloud. People on board were said to be very frightened, but there were no injuries.

The €45m Gulfstream IV jet landed safely and was checked out by the Air Corps.

Mr Ahern commented on the incident at the start of an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

When asked about it being his last official visit to Belfast as Taoiseach, Mr Ahern said: "I didn't think I'd ever get here at all, the government jet was hit by lightning on the way."

The jet had 12 people on board: the Taoiseach, Fianna Fail TD Noel Treacy, six officials, and four crew from the Air Corps. Mr Treacy was travelling in his capacity as chairman of the Oireachtas All-Party Committee on the Good Friday Agreement.

The jet was previously hit by lightning on the wing, during a trip to Hillsborough for talks to restore power-sharing in October 2003.

And Mr Ahern has experienced a series of mishaps with the Government jet over his term in office.

The plane broke down on the runway on a number of occasions, most famously in Mexico in 2003.

Mr Ahern and his then partner Celia Larkin suffered the ignominy of flying back on a commercial flight after the jet was grounded because of a faulty fuel-tap.

Meanwhile, in 2002 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was stood up in New York when a breakdown left the Taoiseach stranded in Washington.

The 15-seater jet entered service in 1991. It now operates seven days a week, usually transporting Cabinet ministers.

With a crew of two pilots, an engineer and a flight attendant, it is capable of intercontinental transport with a range of 3,800 nautical miles or almost nine hours before refuelling.