Pilot apologises for error in judgement

Aug 05, 2011 News

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Evidence is emerging that the pilot of the Caribbean Airlines Limited craft that ran off the

runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, last Saturday, might have made an error of judgement.
In probably the clearest indication of pilot error as the cause of the mishap, a taxi driver, who claimed to have overheard a conversation between the pilot, Fareed Deen, and his crew, related that Deen kept apologizing for what he believes was a human error.
Manfred Williams, who transported the pilot and his crew to the city immediately after the crash, recalled that Deen was inconsolable throughout the journey.
The Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-800 ran off the runway and broke into two. Miraculously, all 157 passengers and six crew members escape serious injury.
Although international experts are investigating the circumstances that led to the crash, most people who were at the airport are convinced that the aircraft landed too far down the runway, resulting in it careening beyond the perimter fence into a grassy area adjacent to the airport.
Williams said that minutes after the aircraft came to a halt, he went across to render assistance and he ended up having to transport the pilot and his crew.
“On the way to Georgetown they were just talking among themselves. The pilot was mentioning that he sorry what happened and he like he mek a mistake. He say he was to circle and like he see a loophole and he just decide fuh touch instead of circling,” Williams stated.
The taxi driver said the pilot continued rambling on about what will befall him in light of what had happened.
“He studying like is best he was dead, he wanted to know if it was a dream, if he was still dreaming and all sort of things, because he done know what problem he would be in,” Williams informed.
“He (pilot) was saying that his twenty something years of service will go down the drain, they will knock him off, he will go to jail, you know, different things he was saying, he just worried about what will happen. The crew was telling him to calm down, that everything will be alright,” he added.
Captain Deen was pulled from the cockpit in a semi-conscious condition minutes after the aircraft came to a halt.
Investigators have collected a black box from the aircraft which is being analysed in the United States of America with a view to confirming what caused the crash.
Edgar Thomas, a ramp supervisor, told members of the media that he and his staff were preparing for the arrival of the aircraft.
He recalled that there was a slight drizzle at the time and the plane landed a good distance from where it would normally touchdown for a safe landing and immediately he sensed that something terrible was about to happen.
“It tried to stop before it get to the end, but it could not have stopped.”
He based his assessment from years of experience watching aircraft land at the airport.
Thomas said that he and his crew immediately set off towards the area where the plane had stopped and upon seeing what had happened they went into action.
“There was no fire, just loud noise… when we advanced to the cockpit, we saw the captain slump over the seat, so I managed to go in and render some assistance to him too,” Thomas said.
He recalled that the pilot was complaining about pain in his back.
This was confirmed by another man who identified himself as Ray Pollard, one of the “red cap” baggage handlers at the airport.
He said that he was the first person to reach the crash site, but did not venture too close to the aircraft since he had observed smoke coming from one of the engines.
According to Pollard, he immediately raised an alarm, calling out persons who are squatting near the airport to help the hapless passengers.
He then proceeded to the cockpit where persons were desperately trying to free the pilot.
“A Rastaman chop down de door and he pass out the pilot to me and a fireman. We hold him because he was crying for his back, the co-pilot come after,” the baggage handler told members of the media yesterday.
“When the co-pilot come out, he (pilot) start to apologise to the co-pilot, saying “man, I’m very much sorry, I’m sorry for what I’ve done.’ I don’t know the reason why he apologise to the co-pilot. He didn’t say what he was sorry for,” Pollard added.
He said that even though the pilot was injured, he still wanted to go back into the cockpit, while asking for his flight bag but the rescuers refused to allow him to go since they feared that the aircraft would have burst into flames.
“I get the impression that it was his mistake because how long you ain’t do something, you wouldn’t say you’re sorry. The co-pilot like he was vex… you know when you tell somebody something and they don’t like it how they will behave?” Pollard stated.
He said that the pilot then asked for the crew and they all gathered in prayer at the scene of the crash amidst all the confusion around them.
Pollard expressed disappointment over reports in the media in which some passengers claimed that they did not receive any assistance. He believes that the persons who made those remarks were not the ones who were seriously injured.
“Probably they came off the aircraft first, they were strong. Remember when you go to an accident site, you look for the people who are badly injured,” he said.
Pollard who grew up around Guyana’s main international airport, said that it was the first time that he has seen a commercial aircraft crash at the facility.
“I see a DC-6 run off right there and the pilot them jump out and run. This is the first time that a big commercial aircraft ever run off,” Pollard said.

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