According to the Irish Times, Minister Martin Cullen was luck to escape “serious injury” when travelling in a helicopter.

Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen was fortunate to avoid serious injury this afternoon when the door of a helicopter in which he was travelling came off in mid-air over Killarney National Park.

The helicopter, which was bringing Mr Cullen back to Dublin from an Irish Hotels Federation conference in Co Kerry, made an emergency landing a short time later at a helicopter pad at Killarney Golf & Fishing
Club.

A spokesman for the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism could not confirm the details of the incident but said they were aware something had happened.

I dunno about you, but if I were in a helicopter, I’m pretty sure than I’d be strapped into my seat with a seatbelt. So, if a door came off, much like if a door came off the passenger side of a car I was travelling in, I’d still be perfectly safe, strapped into my seat. The helicopter wouldn’t de-pressurise. It might be a bit draugty all of a sudden, but I’d be free from threat of injury.

We’ve all seen open sided helicopters. They are used in search and rescue and also in gun-ship types of helicopters. Serious injury to Martin Cullen? What about some poor unsuspecting deer on the ground who could have been flattened by the falling door, or indeed, what about some poor pine martin when the helicopter door comes crashing from the sky? Lets hope that one of the precious yew trees wasn’t damaged by the helicopter door. What are ministers doing flying around in helicopters anyway? Was Martin Cullen on ministerial business? If we was, was it at the expense of the tax payer? Lets hope this man had more sense than to choose a helicopter as his ministerial form of transport when the poor souls with their secure jobs in the public service and guaranteed pensions are being asked to pay a six percent levy! Down with the helicopter sort of thing! You’d think that this dangerous incident would warrant a twitter from FF, but nothing.

A helicopter door incident at Salthill Air Show:

March 2, 2009 general nonsense