PILOT TO BLAME: Not qualified in crash plane, nervous when flying in clouds, 129 illegal flights in 11 weeks

The plane that crashed and pilot Darren Clarke, who was killed in the crash.

As of Wednesday, August 1, 2018

EXTRA OVERSIGHT RECOMMENDED

FOLLOWING the January 17 plane crash that killed six people, the Air Accident Investigation Department has recommended that the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority "increase its surveillance and oversight of the general aviation sector and put in place policies to reduce the high incidence of unauthorised commercial operations".

The plane crash was not the first time a flight operated by a "hacker" has resulted in deaths in the Bahamas, but aviation officials have since pledged an unprecedented effort to clamp down on the "hacking" practice.

At a press conference earlier this year, BCAA Director General Captain Charles Beneby said: "Any attempt by a member of the public to engage such services makes that person complicit in an illegal act. This is a warning to all persons that are engaged in such activities, now is the time to stop. We've talked about this before my time. We won't talk about it anymore."

Mr Beneby has since said more manpower is needed to properly police the sector, ensuring operators all have requisite certifications.

The AAID also recommended in its report that a "plan of action be instituted to ensure all airmen who are owners or operators of foreign registered aircraft are in possession of Bahamas issued licences as required by CAGR".

The AAID recommended that surveillance be increased to "ensure all airmen who are owners/operators of foreign registered aircraft, they are in possession of required medical certificates while operating those foreign registered aircraft in the Bahamas airspace."

Policies and procedures requiring all valid licence applicants must be familiar with Bahamas' air laws and procedures have also been recommended.

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE six people who died in January when the pilot of their plane lost control of the aircraft had zero chance of survival, according to the Air Accident Investigation Department’s report of the crash.

The accident, which killed three men, two women and a ten-year-old girl, “was not survivable due to the high speed, high angle contact (with the ocean) and magnitude of the deceleration forces,” the report said. “All indications were that the aircraft made contact with the ocean straight in (at approximately 180 degrees, nose, propeller and engines first, as evidenced from propeller and airframe signature marks) before cartwheeling several times prior to stopping.”

The January 17 accident off Andros reignited concerns and debate about the aviation sector’s longstanding “hacker” problem which officials have since vowed to address.

The crash report portrays the pilot, Darren Clarke, as a rule-breaker who experienced anxiety flying in non-ideal conditions. It said: “A student pilot that previously flew with the pilot to build flight time stated, ‘I’ve been flying through overcast conditions with him before and I had to calm him down and tell him to trust the instruments inside the plane…if I wasn’t with him then, he might have been gone that day instead.’ Another witness, who had also previously flown with the pilot stated, ‘He was kinda scared of flying in clouds.’ “

On the fateful day, the pilot “failed to maintain control of the aircraft,” the report said, “possibly as a result of spatial disorientation and a lack of situational awareness when he continued flight into meteorological conditions he was not comfortable in. The pilot was not qualified to fly this type of aircraft by ‘instruments only.’ The pilot’s private pilot licence was limited to ‘visual flight rules only’ in a multi-engine aircraft, because he did not demonstrate proficiency using the instruments for navigation in a multi-engine aircraft.”

Citing Wikipedia, the report described spatial disorientation resulting from poor weather, saying: “A pilot who enters such conditions will quickly lose spatial orientation if there has been no training in flying with reference to instruments. If the pilot is not proficient in the use of gyroscopic flight instruments, these errors will build up to a point that control of the aircraft is lost, usually in a steep, diving turn known as graveyard spiral. During the entire time, leading up to and well into the manoeuvre, the pilot remains unaware that he is turning, believing that he is maintaining straight flight.’

Reduced visibility and rain were determining factors in the crash. Investigators said: “Weather conditions were marginal in the area between Nassau and Andros and cloud coverage and bases ranged from 1,800 to 25,000 feet with showers, thundershowers and moderate to severe turbulence. The AAID believes the pilot may have been circumnavigating the marginal weather and reduced visibility and at some point lost control of the aircraft with fatal consequences. He was not authorised to operate any multi-engine aircraft in weather conditions that required use of instruments for navigation because he did not demonstrate instrument proficiency.”

Debris from the crash was strewn far and wide, but the pilot’s log book was recovered in good condition from the side pocket of the cockpit. The documents showed he had completed 129 flights between October 31, 2017 and 2018 for renumeration or hire, none of which he was legally qualified to conduct. Additionally, while the aircraft was designed to carry only five passengers and a pilot at one time, the report said “several flights were documented with as many as eight passengers being carried on the aircraft at any one time.” Investigators also determined Mr Clarke’s pilot’s medical certificate, issued on November 20, 2013, had expired by December 31, 2015. That expiration would have invalidated all privileges a properly certified pilot could exercise, but Mr Clarke still conducted flights between October 31, 2017 and January 18, 2018 with the expired medical certificate.

The Piper Aztec aircraft itself was not defective in any way. Investigators concluded it was properly registered and equipped, adequately certified for operations and in compliance with regulations and procedures. They determined system malfunction did not contribute to the accident.

After the accident, the contacts the pilot made with Air Traffic Services were scrutinised. Investigators detail the interaction in the report, concluding communication or the lack thereof had no bearing on the result. During the episode, air traffic control at one point observed the aircraft “conducting a series of unauthorised changes, climbs and descents and orbits before disappearing from radar contact.”

“The ATS communication facility available to the aircraft after his departure from San Andros was Nassau Air Traffic Control Centre which the pilot utilised,” the report said. “However after contact was made and radar transponder code issued, the pilot inquired into weather conditions after being advised by ATC that he appeared to be heading westbound instead of inbound to Nassau. After advising the aircraft that weather was observed to the southeast and southeast of Nassau, no further two-way radio communication could be established between the aircraft and ATC. ATC attempted to contact the aircraft to find out his intentions with no success; the target was observed turning left as if turning to South Andros. The target was further observed shortly thereafter, turning south, then appearing to orbit, then descending and finally disappearing from radar screen in the ATC radar centre.

“ATC documented at the time of disappearance, the aircraft was heading westward and 8nm east of (the San Andros Airport). Another aircraft in the airspace around the time was engaged by ATC to attempt contact with N62769, also with no success. Two-way radio communication was not a factor in this accident; however, there was a failure on the part of the pilot to respond to ATC’s inquires after being given a transponder code for his inbound flight and water conditions. The reason for the pilot’s failure to respond is unknown.”

ohdrap4 6 years, 4 months ago

One can never mention incompetence in the Bahamas.

Be kind to your web-footed friends. that duck may be somebody's mother.

joeblow 6 years, 4 months ago

This is no consolation for the families who experienced loss and I would guess there was no indemnity insurance either. So sad!

B_I_D___ 6 years, 4 months ago

Even if the plane had coverage in place, once the investigation shows he was carrying 'for hire' and that the pilot was not qualified, that claim will get denied faster than you can blink. Insurance null and void.

Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 4 months ago

Government should establish and maintain a website that lists all pilots licensed by our aviation authority to carry fare paying passengers. And no pilot without an IFR (instrument) rating should be licensed to carry fare paying passengers. The website should also indicate the type of plane the pilot is licensed to fly, e.g. single engine, multi-engine, etc. Similarly the government should maintain a website that lists by call-sign number and type of aircraft all aircraft holding a current airworthiness certificate and possessing the required minimum insurance coverage that are authorized by our aviation authority to carry fare paying passengers. We must recognize that we are a nation of islands with much air travel between our islands. Bahamians, residents and visitors alike should have the ability to verify for themselves (by going to such websites) whether the aircraft they will be flying in is airworthy and whether the pilot who will be flying it is properly licensed to do so. Without this kind of information being made available to the public at large, it is all too easy for the unsuspecting traveling public to be preyed on by unqualified pilots/hackers who offer ridiculously low prices to get from A to B. Of course, even with such publicly available information, nothing at the end of the day can stop a fool from getting on a plane that is either not certified as airworthy or is piloted by someone who does not hold a current license to fly it.

DDK 6 years, 4 months ago

"The documents showed he had completed 129 flights between October 31, 2017 and 2018 for renumeration or hire". Tribune, are we to assume this should have read "between 31st October, 2017 and perhaps 17th January, 2018? This would cover approximately 79 days, an average approximately 1.63 flights per day. ATC had sufficient recorded data to have raised warning flags on the volume of activity of this pilot and aircraft. I would imagine the aircraft's maintenance provider would also have been aware of the volume of activity conducted by the aircraft and pilot. Another example of decades of the lack of good governance and decades of the lack of will to improve this situation which only rears its predictable head after every avoidable tragedy.

Socrates 6 years, 4 months ago

i think it fair to say, he is probably not the only incompetent one flying around the Bahamas. problem is we won't know who the others are until we read about them too one day in the papers.... apparently, mostly good weather and sunny days are covering up for many of these deficient individuals.

Alex_Charles 6 years, 4 months ago

The crazy thing is that flying in The Bahamas is diverse in terms of weather as it changes rapidly. Unless he's like Bahamas air and flying around clouds or storms, it's impossible to try to avoid those conditions in this airspace forever.

Call it like it is, he was incompetent and put people's lives at risk constantly to make a quick buck. Unfortunately this time didn't work out and people lost their lives unfortunately.

BahamaLlama 6 years, 4 months ago

You have to be a pilot to understand how totally unacceptable any of this is, and just how grave the abuse of established principles. There is no modern airspace in the world, or rental company, or authority, which would allow anyone of that little professionalism to be PIC or allowed any form of control over a commercial aircraft. He was a criminal.

This guy had only had his PPL, was on an expired medical certificate, overloaded PAX, ignored ATC, and had even failed his IFR?

How on earth did he rent the plane?

Gotoutintime 6 years, 4 months ago

Because he had enough money and the owner apparently didn't give a damm who he rented to!

Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 4 months ago

Amazing that government requires annual notices be published/gazetted to identify persons licensed as engineers, realtors, public accountants, and on and on. Is there such a public notice requirement for persons licensed as pilots who are authorized to provide fare paying passenger / charter services? If such notice is published (at least annually), does it indicate whether the pilot is single or multi-engine certified? As mentioned in my post above, they should all have an IFR rating given the many unpredictable weather situations that may be encountered with little notice.

DWW 6 years, 4 months ago

The difference is that the engineers and accountants, BREA etc. which do publish are non-government agencies. You are asking the government to actually do something. funny (but sad too) this is why the contractors bill will never work because they are asking government regulate which won't work. take taxis, jitneys, mailboats etc. as your prime example of lack of regulation or quasi regulation which is regulation and red tape in name only but is mostly under table antics in reality

Alex_Charles 6 years, 4 months ago

not 100% accurate on the contractor part. The BCA wants some authority to regulate aswell and government isn't seemingly open to the idea. They know government sucks at regulating, which is why they wanted to certify through BCA programs.

Clamshell 6 years, 4 months ago

Who owned the plane? Why isn’t he in jail right now?

Jetflt 6 years, 4 months ago

Because we in da Bahamas and das how tings go here! Where you been?

BahamaLlama 6 years, 4 months ago

I am still in utter amazement this could have even happened. A guy with only multi-engine PPL operates 129 "commercial" flights with 8 passengers in an Aztec, like he's a jitney driver. He loses control of it when he goes into a system, after refusing to answer ATC, and ends up 180 killing everyone on board.

Not answering ATC, just by itself, is enough to get serious disciplinary action, or an escort. The irresponsibility here is beyond comprehension. Offering commercial flights before even being instrument rated? WTF?

This is so serious it warrants actually shutting down regional airspace to light aircraft until licenses and rentals are checked (no professional pilot is going to complain considering the circumstances). Did nobody check the flight plan? Did flight services not check on landing? Did nobody ask for his license or log book? ATC didn't sanction him? How were these passengers "booking" these flights or hearing about them?

We need to thank our lucky stars the story hasn't spread wider. The fact this occurred in our airspace speaks volumes about how professionally-(mis)-managed it is.

ohdrap4 6 years, 4 months ago

How were these passengers "booking" these flights or hearing about them?

you do not "book" these flights. you just go loiter in the airport and tell people you are going to andros, and they tell you where to go.

nowadays there is whatsapp and the thing goes by word of mouth.

sometimes there is an odd fella there asking you to bring a cooler of frozen meats for his parents.

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