A friend of Irish flying ace Eddie Goggins, Captain Kieran O'Connor, himself a veteran pilot, says the daredevil's escape from Sunday's midair collision above Marsamxett harbour is one of the most skilful he has ever seen.
Speaking to The Times, Capt. O'Connor of the Irish National Flight Centre said: "I've seen the footage of the accident and think that the escape was just superb... and I have been flying for 45 years. That's the calibre of Eddie Goggins," he said. "I think that will become an example in the years to come for people to follow in escape situations."
He pointed out that Mr Googins' aircraft did not have an ejector seat like a military jet. "He had to pop his canopy, release his seatbelt and jump out - all this with a critically damaged aircraft. It takes extreme presence of mind and training to be able to do that," he said.
His parachute opened at the last possible moment, just before he hit the water, another factor which contributed to the lucky escape.
In the meantime the body of Gábor Varga, the 45-year-old Swedish pilot who lost his life in Sunday's collision, was flown to Stockholm yesterday after an autopsy was carried out.
The official report concluded that Mr Varga died of drowning, even though he sustained a number of injuries from the crash.
The tail of his red-and-blue Yak plane was clipped by Eddie Goggins' red-and-white Extra 200 who was flying behind him. Mr Varga's plane, minus its tail, plunged nose first at speed into the sea.
Understandably, Mr Goggins, who runs a dental practice in Dublin, became the talk of the town back home especially among aviator circles.
"He's an exceptional man and an outstanding pilot," Capt. O'Connor said.
His wife Suzanne flew over on Monday to be with her husband, who has been told to stay in Malta for the time being while the magisterial inquiry is carried out.
It has not been possible to contact Mr Goggins or Mr Varga's family since the tragic incident.
It is understood that Mr Goggins was instructed by his legal advisors not to release any comments to the press pending the outcome of the investigation.
Capt. O'Connor also declined to give his interpretation of the events.
"I cannot comment on the dynamics of the incident. I'll leave that to the Maltese aviation authorities who will now carry out their investigation," he said.
Besides the magisterial process, the Bureau of Air Accident Investigation is also carrying out an inquiry.
The bureau seeks to understand the dynamics of air accidents and make recommendations it feels could prevent such mishaps.