Incident Overview
On July 13, 2009, at 0815 Coordinated Universal Time, a Gulfstream Aerospace G IV SP aircraft, registration VT-MST, owned by Asia Aviation Ltd, experienced a descent below the minimum safe altitude during departure from Kerry Airport (EIKY) in Farranfore, Ireland. The aircraft flew near mountainous terrain while in instrument meteorological conditions. The two crew members and one passenger were not injured.
Windscreen Examination
The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) requested an analysis of the forward windscreen, which had experienced a failure of the outboard glass ply. The windscreen was analyzed by PPG Aerospace under the supervision of the National Transportation Safety Board. The results were submitted to the Irish investigator-in-charge for consideration.
Bird DNA Testing
Sections of the outboard glass ply were swabbed to test for potential bird deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The samples were examined by the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Lab, which determined that bird DNA was not present.
Investigation Jurisdiction
This investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Ireland. This report contains information released by the Government of Ireland and is provided for informational purposes only. Further information about this event may be obtained from the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU), Department of Transportation, 44 Kildare St, Dublin 2, Ireland.