An Irish aviation-focused podcast is shining a spotlight on one of the country’s most remarkable emergency landings, the dramatic 1983 arrival of a Mexican executive jet at Cork Racecourse, Mallow.
Featured on Irish Skies Pod on YouTube, the programme examines the emergency diversion and landing of Gulfstream II XA-FOU at Cork Racecourse after deteriorating weather conditions at Shannon Airport left the crew critically short of fuel.
The episode features exclusive interviews with the flight crew, Shannon Approach Radar Controller Jim Lalor, and an Avair pilot who witnessed the landing and relayed confirmation to Shannon air traffic control that the aircraft and crew were safe.
XA-FOU, a Gulfstream II business jet, had departed Newark and was inbound to Shannon on the morning of Monday, April 18, 1983, before continuing onward to Munich.
However, as the aircraft approached Shannon, a dense fog bank rolled in from the estuary and settled across the airport and its runways. The crew carried out an instrument approach and descended to their decision minima of 200 feet but were unable to see the runway environment due to the worsening visibility, forcing them to abandon the landing attempt.
During communications with Shannon Approach, the crew queried the distance to Dublin as an alternate airport. When informed it was approximately 105 miles away, they advised controllers they did not have sufficient fuel to reach it. Cork was then suggested as a possible diversion, but when informed it was still 55 miles away, the crew reportedly responded: “…wow…”.
As the aircraft diverted south toward Cork, the situation worsened further when the crew declared they no longer had enough fuel to reach the airport safely.
Controllers at Shannon then worked together using local geographical knowledge to identify a possible emergency landing site, ultimately selecting Mallow Racecourse as the best available option.
With fuel rapidly running out, Captain Ruben Ocana and his crew were guided toward the unmarked location and succeeded in landing safely on the grass surface of the racecourse in what has since become one of the most remarkable emergency landings in Irish aviation history.
The aircraft remained at the racecourse for several weeks while a temporary runway was constructed to facilitate its departure. No injuries were reported and the aircraft sustained minimal damage.
The podcast also reflects on the lasting legacy of the incident.
Separately, a 2023 commemorative gathering in Mallow saw members of Captain Ocana’s family scatter his ashes at the site of the emergency landing, 40 years after the event captured international attention.
Irish Skies Pod – Support Page describes the project as a self-funded aviation storytelling platform focused on Irish aviation history, operational stories and interviews from across the aviation industry.