The Department of Civil Aviation says it has completed the first part of its investigation into the plane crash that claimed the lives of five persons, including business magnate Sir Barry Bowen and his four passengers Michael and Jillian Casey and their children Makayla and Bryce, on south Ambergris Caye last Friday.
According to the Department, there are “other contributing factors” to the crash — wherein Sir Barry, a pilot of long standing, lost control of his Cessna 206 and crash-landed into the clay marshes in the DFC Housing area of San Pedro Town around 5:18 on Friday, February 26 — which remain under investigation.
The press was briefed this afternoon in the conference room at the Department’s offices at the Philip Goldson International Airport in Ladyville.
Director of Civil Aviation Jose Contreras, after first extending condolences to the grieving families and warning that the DCA would not “apportion blame,” related information concerning the flight plan and history, as well as the history of Barry Bowen as a pilot.
It was revealed that Sir Barry had flown three other times that day: a morning flight from San Pedro to the Belize City Municipal Airstrip, and a round-trip flight to and from the Privación airstrip in the Cayo District.
At 5:11 p.m. on the 26th, he went up for the fourth time after clearing PGIA control, accompanied by the Casey family.
En route he encountered some air traffic going in the opposite direction, but conditions were clear as he began the fateful descent into Ambergris air space, having first switched to the universal control signal for pilots at 122.8 Mhz 13 miles out. The crash came approximately 0.8 of a mile from runway 6 at the San Pedro Airstrip, which runs east-west.
There is still no fixed reading of the wind level on San Pedro at the time of the crash, but the PGIA’s most recent reading on the day of the crash, at 5:00 p.m. on February 26, read east at 6 knots.
Sir Barry passed a medical examination that certified him fit to fly in November of 2009, and last year his private pilot’s license (which he had held since 1976) and U.S.-issued airman certificate (since 1986) were renewed through October of this year. He had logged 5,705 hours of flight time prior to the accident.
The Cessna, modified with a Rolls-Royce engine in 1990 and in use since 1982, was kept in excellent condition and certified airworthy through October of 2010.
Notably, there was no indication at any time during the ill-fated flight, reported Contreras, that the Cessna 206 was in trouble; communication was normal and nothing unusual was reported.
However, as the plane descended to a lower altitude than it normally would have been, it bumped into three standing masts of a barge parked next to a house in the area, denting and breaking them.
According to Chief Investigator Brian Dominguez, it appeared Sir Barry was trying to reach a higher altitude when the plane struck the masts and started its downward spiral, flattening mangroves on landing. Parts of the plane “disintegrated prematurely,” and the fuselage was “severely compromised.”
As soon as the Chief Operations Officer at Tropic Air’s San Pedro office notified the DCA, it activated its investigation procedures and appointed two pilots and two maintenance engineers, all Department-certified inspectors, to go out to the crash site.
Assistance was provided by the police and BATSUB, who flew the investigation team out. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States was notified because of the origin of the plane’s parts, from manufacturers Cessna of Kansas and Rolls-Royce, both of whom sent investigators to assist local authorities.
When we asked if anything had been definitely ruled out in the investigation, Contreras replied that “because of the situation and sensitivity of this case, we have to do a proper investigation and that is why we have the specialists here to assist us…,” adding that should they be needed, other specialists and specialized equipment can be called on from the regional safety agency based in Costa Rica.
The investigators intend to go over everything – from autopsy reports to reconstructing the plane itself – in an effort to solve a baffling case.
And for those jittery about flying the friendly skies, Contreras said not to worry: “I can assure you that transportation by air is the safest mode of transport. …”
Added Dominguez: “Put it this way… the occurrence of having to deal with any mishaps, the numbers are far superseded than if you got into your vehicle… and impacted someone on the street.”
Backing that assertion was General Manager of the Belize Airports Authority (BAA) Kenworth Tillett, whose organization manages all of Belize’s airstrips with the exception of the PGIA.
Tillett told us that as far as he had seen, there was no reduction in the number of flights booked locally since the crash, stating that users of the flight services saw the Bowen accident as “tragic, but not something that happens very often.”
“When you go into the air you are in good hands,” Tillett said, in praising Belize’s pilots.
While the investigation continues, the families of Michael and Jillian Casey left Belize today for the United States, where the couple and their two children Makayla and Bryce will be buried.
A memorial service was held at the Gallon Jug Community School where the Caseys taught.