Letter from Irish Consulate detailing conversations with Lieutenant Colonel Vassallo

Mr. Cormac Boomer
36 Riverdale Park North
Belfast BT11 9DL

Dear Mr. Boomer,

I would like to pass on my condolences to your family at this difficult time.

Please find attached copies of correspondence received from the Irish Honorary Consul to Malta and a transcript of my telephone conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Vassallo as requested.

I have asked the Embassy of Ireland in London to contact the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office for details on the British national on board the flight, Mr. Michael Williams.

I will keep you updated with any information we receive. If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Niamh Ryan
Consular Services

Note for File

I spoke to Lieutenant Colonel Vassallo, co-ordinator of the search at the Operations Centre of the Maltese Armed Forces. The official search was called off on Friday evening after no trace had been found. According to the Lieutenant Colonel they left no stone unturned during the search which included personnel and equipment from Malta, United States, Italy, Libya and Tunisia. The accident happened on the border of Tunisian and Maltese airspace and the searchers were given permission to check inside Libyan and Tunisian waters. The family of the pilot own a small aviation company and they continued the search with two aircraft on Sunday. The Maltese operation centre co-ordinated this search and lent military observers to the family.

If the plane went down near the coast it would be easier to find although there are many ship wrecks in that area. The Lieutenant Colonel believes that the plane may have gone down just inside Tunisian airspace. The last message received from the aircraft was 10 minutes before it was due to enter Maltese air space but it never appeared on Maltese radar. Therefore if the aircraft is within Tunisian waters the search should be taken up the Tunisian authorities.

Niamh Ryan
12 December 1995