The two Caribbean Airlines (CAL) pilots involved in Saturday's runway mishap at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri in Guyana have been taken off the company's roster. Both the pilots are still in Guyana and are expected to give statements to assist the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and the US National Transport Safety Board in their investigations. Director of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Ramesh Lutchmedial said in an interview yesterday that in incidents such as these, the airline would usually take the pilots off flying duties until an official report is completed. He said if the report suggests a cause of negligence, then the CAA can suspend the pilots' licences. But until a report is complete, both men will be off the roster. The report will also serve the airline in its insurance claim.
The Guardian understands the four-year-old aircraft is insured by Aon International for US$48 million. The claim will be paid to CAL's lessor, Ireland-based CIT Aerospace. CAL's corporate communications manager Laura Asbjornsen said she could not comment on the issues at this time. "We cannot comment on the insurance issues since this all depends on the outcome of the investigation," she said.
Meanwhile, retired BWIA captain Norris Gomez, who didn't want to comment on the actual accident because of the lack of detail, stated: "I first want to say that the captain of the aircraft involved in the incident is an excellent, experienced pilot. He was my co-pilot on the A-340 for years." Gomez said: "I can say, however, that pilots are under extreme psychological pressure to land at destinations in order to save the airline great costs due to the expense of putting up people in hotels and rescheduling flights.
"This is not unique to CAL but the pilot has to feel that he can make his decisions without fear of recrimination. "The current CAL board does not have anyone with flying, engineering or aviation experience on it. The board, therefore, does not have anyone who understands the pressures the pilots are under. "I think that this would be a good opportunity for the powers that be to evaluate the way it structures the boards of nationalised companies that require specialist industry knowledge and experience." Asbjornsen said CAL operates all aspects of its operations according to strict regulatory guidelines. "These govern flight times and mandatory rest times. As a result we have no comment on the quote regarding our scheduling of pilots," she told the T&T Guardian.