Noel Elliot, the Guyanese national who suffered the most injury in last Saturday's incident of Caribbean Airlines BW 523 has told the Government that he will continue travelling on CAL, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said yesterday. "Caribbean Airlines and its previous incarnation Bwee's 64-year-old safety record remains intact," Persad-Bissessar said on arrival back at Piarco International Airport yesterday, after visiting Elliot and other injured passengers in Guyana on Saturday. "We thank God for his mercies that not a life was lost-not a fatality in last Saturday's incident," she added. The incident of CAL 523 is now under probe by a team of experts, including from the Federal Aviation Authority, Boeing (manufacturers of the aircraft), the US National Transport and Safety Board as well as Guyanese, T&T and Surinamese experts.
Persad-Bissessar jetted to Guyana hours after CAL 523 undertook what global media is deeming a miraculous landing at Cheddi Jagan Airport around 1.32 am on Saturday. Only about 30 minor injuries-and no fatalities-were reported among the 154 passengers. Ministers Roodal Moonilal and Stephen Cadiz, who had been in Guyana for conferences last week, were the first T&T Government officials on the scene of the accident. Persad-Bissessar arrived on Saturday evening and together with other ministers went immediately to the crash site. Yesterday, she visited the flight crew, as well as Elliot and other injured passengers. She also met Guyana government officials, including President Bharrat Jagdeo, on the situation before returning home with her team at 3.30 pm yesterday.
The ministerial team, who travelled home on CAL, arrived at Piarco in a solemn mood. Minister Suruj Rambachan provided the explanation, saying that seeing the broken CAL aircraft lying on the Guyana ground had been "an emotional and deep experience for us." He said: "Seeing it on paper is one thing, but seeing one of T&T's own aircraft on the ground in real life was another." Persad-Bissessar said: "When we got into Guyana on Saturday, we visited the site where the aircraft was and it was a...stunning sight. "It was really a heart-rending sight to see this aircraft, you know, nose-dived into the sand-and broken along the spin-I thought that was bad enough, but when we visited in the light today (Sunday), it was much more fearsome to look at," she added. "So it is indeed miraculous what has happened because not a life was lost...Not a fatality. "The passengers who were injured and the crew; the pilot suffered some injury to his back. But the main injury was to the leg of Mr Elliot."
Persad-Bissessar said she was told that the aircraft's cockpit door had to be cut away with an axe to free pilot Fareed Dean.She said Dean was taken out of the wreckage. But she said Dean was now walking, though with some pain. "The cockpit was so totally squashed, it's a miracle they're alive," she added. After meeting Dean and his crew yesterday, she said: "They are traumatised, but given what we saw, I think they would have made their best efforts regardless of what happened and attempted to have that aircraft be as safe as they could. "When I saw them, they wanted to come home, but they can't right away as they have to be interviewed by the investigators," she said. "I saw a bit of a lift in their spirits when we walked in to see them. We prayed with them and they were a bit more comforted when we left." The Prime Minister said she had suggested that CAL fly a relative of each flight crew member to Guyana to give them support.
Saying she visited Elliot at Guyana's hospital, Persad-Bissessar said: "He was in very good spirits. Today (Sunday) was his anniversary which he'd come to Guyana to celebrate. He made a very interesting comment when asked if he would fly on CAL again. "He said, 'well, of course, I always fly CAL. I have to fly CAL because I want to go back to New York,'" she added. Persad-Bissessar also visited a 20-year- old and a 69-year-old who were hospitalised with minor injuries. Admitting the incident was the worst so far for CAL, Persad-Bissessar, however, said it served to remind of CAL's safety record. "Not a life was lost, other airlines cannot say that," she added. "The aircraft remains virtually intact in the conditions at the scene as when it landed there." She said the plane would be dismantled only after they were advised by investigators.
The return of the crew and aircraft to T&T would depend on the length of the probe. The aircraft, which was leased in 2007, was insured, she added. Persad-Bissessar said: "We don't know what happened and we have no intention of speculating. This is a very serious business...I cannot say it was pilot error, runway error, aircraft malfunction-those are matters better handled by the experts." She said she hoped the probe would be concluded in the fastest possible time as it would be in T&T's interest to know the cause to take steps to prevent a similar incident. Confirming that there would be some impact on CAL, she said CAL's board was dealing with the situation to contain this. Persad-Bissessar said there was a lot of misinformation on the Internet and blogs regarding a St Maarten crash and another in the region which did not involve CAL.
Funds for passengers
CAL chairman George Nicholas has said the airline has provided funds of US$500 each for the 154 passengers on the flight to provide a level of comfort and assistance. He said T&T's consul in Guyana was assisting with the situation. Kamla Persad-Bissessar said CAL had put a lot of systems in place for passenger support, assistance and counselling. The crew is also receiving counselling. Persad-Bissessar said Guyanese authorities did all they could in the removal of passengers. She thanked the US for providing aviation help in the probe. She also said US experts had vast experience in such matters.