The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CIVIL aviation officials have 90 days to respond to the safety recommendations issued by the Air Accident Investigation and Prevention Unit of the Civil Aviation Department following its analysis of the November plane crash in Grand Bahama that killed nine people on their way to a global leadership conference hosted by Bahamas Faith Ministries (BFM).

Investigators have concluded that while weather was a factor in the crash, the “actions by ... the pilots were the primary cause of the accident”.

However, investigators have recommended that a radar be installed at the Freeport International Airport or that a monitor be installed to allow the local controller to view a Miami Centre radar.

Lack of a radar at the airport means that pilots have to provide information about their flight to Air Traffic Services when making their approaches.

“Freeport International Airport does not have radar capabilities and therefore pilots are required to provide distance, location and altitude positions to ATC (Air Traffic Control) when conducting approaches,” the report said, adding: “Freeport Air Traffic Control does not have capabilities to track flight path. Miami Flight centre was able to provide valuable flight path direction and altitude information of the aircraft route from MYNN (Lynden Pindling International Airport) up until the aircraft was lost.”

Investigators concluded that the pilots of the Learjet, Captain Stanley Thurston and co-pilot Frankhan Cooper, flew at an altitude below the authorised level, a fact they did not disclose to ATC personnel.

However, the lack of a radar meant ATC personnel had  to rely on the information the pilots gave them when providing instructions.

The report said: “The aircraft never entered or held at the published holding position or altitude as (the pilots advised ATC) they were doing. The aircraft also never maintained the authorised altitude as they made the approach from the area of the holding position toward the airport.

“Radar data from Miami Centre supports this assertion … As Freeport International Airport does not have radar in which to detect and verify aircraft position, there was no way for controllers to know an aircraft was not at the exact position or altitude that they reported.”

Investigators also recommended that meteorological services at the Freeport International Airport be increased so weather reports could be available upon request from relevant aircraft.

“And in any case, whenever there is ‘Instrument Meteorological Condition’, a certified MET (meteorological) personnel (should) be available to provide accurate up to the minute weather information for the field,” the report said.

The report also recommended that an awareness campaign be launched among the “non-121 flight crew community about the risks of deviating from published approach procedures”.

Contacted for comment on the recommendations yesterday, Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin said the report will be analysed by Civil Aviation Department Director Ivan Cleare who will later make a final recommendation to the government.

Mr Cleare could not be reached by The Tribune for comment.