Surveyor believes Tit Bonhomme skipper was in bed at time of crash
The Marine Surveyor who investigated the wreckage of the Tit Bonhomme says that it was likely that the skipper Michael Hayes was not at the helm at the time of the crash.
The inquest into the deaths of the five crewmen is nearing the end of its second day.
Marine Surveyor Owen O'Toole told the hearing today that the Tit Bonhomme took a sudden change in direction close to Adam Island minutes before the crash.
He said that it was likely to have been caused by the actions of a human rather than a mechanical fault.
The jury heard yesterday that the only two people who could have been steering the trawler at the time was the skipper Michael Hayes or crewman Saied Ali Eldin.
Owen O'Toole said that it is his belief that it was more than likely to be the crewman as the skipper had not been wearing jeans when his body was discovered.
He had been wearing a life jacket with a crotch tie which would have prevented the jeans from being ripped off by the force of the water so he said he can assume from this that Michael Hayes had been in bed when the crash happened.
