| Bird strike fallout…By Leonard GildarieAuthorities are breathing a sigh of relief after Tuesday’s incident in which a Caribbean Airlines aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing, following a bird strike.Transportation Minister, Robeson Benn, described the incident as a “near miss” and said that the resolve of the government is steadfast in ensuring that the area along the flight path of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) remains safe.But the challenges in ensuring that the airport, the main gateway in Guyana, remains safe are nothing new.According to Benn, in response to questions Friday, the airport had had to deal with a number of stray dogs in the past; squatters and even a wanted criminal hiding out in the area.In the case of the stray dogs, that problem has been resolved.However, the squatting issue is still nagging at airport management and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority.Government has been planning to build a mall near the airport and to remove several of the roadside bars and snackettes located along the roadway leading to the facilities.However,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, the process is far from over. Under regulations,Wholesale Jerseys, a three-mile radius around the airport and runways should be kept clear of activities that could affect the safe operations of the planes that land and take off daily.According to Benn, the airport and his Ministry had attracted severe flack after moves were made to remove a number of squatters.Shortly before he was killed in 2008, Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins, considered Guyana’s most wanted criminal at the time, was believed to have been hiding out near the airport.The Minister admitted that authorities believed that Rawlins, had he been inclined, could have caused severe damage.The latest challenge now is the unwanted birds. On Tuesday, the authorities’ worse fears of an accident almost came true after a vulture, believed to be attracted to waste that were illegally dumped in the area from poultry farms, was sucked into an engine of the Caribbean Airline flight shortly after it took off Tuesday.Officials discovered illegal dumping grounds off the Soesdyke/Linden highway, on which feathers and other waste from the chicken and pig farms in the area were found. The areas were burnt. It is estimated that around 14 chicken and pig farms exist in the area.A special working group was set up to resolve the situation.Residents earlier this week said that they heard explosions with well-known pilot, Mike Charles, who lives in the area, recalling seeing the smoke from one engine.Charles, an aircraft enthusiast retained by government to assist, estimates that over 1000 birds live in the area.Kaieteur News was told that the aircraft landed back on one engine,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, without the use of the reverse thrust to slow the speed on the ground.Residents also reported hearing a heavy grating sound from the damaged propellers.Passengers were shaken with some of them reportedly seeing flames from the left engine and hearing the explosions.According to airport officials,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the incident occurred around 10:26 hrs on Tuesday about five miles from the airport.The flight was at the time carrying 152 passengers and six crew members. The aircraft was operating a scheduled passenger flight, BW662 GEO-POS, and reportedly took off two minutes before the incident.Airport officials said that the plane had ascended to 3,Arian Foster Dolphins Jersey,000 feet when the bird was “ingested” into the left engine.Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting personnel were on standby as the aircraft returned and landed about nine minutes later.Initial investigations revealed several badly bent propellers and according to officials the plane would be grounded until thorough checks are carried out. These include the engine being taken apart.The affected passengers left after 13:00hrs on another plane, this newspaper was told.The pilot of the damaged plane reportedly took control of another one that was on ground at CJIA, taking the shaken passengers to Trinidad, where the flight was originally headed.A mechanic repairs the damaged Caribbean Airlines plane earlier this week.The plane is still grounded and repairs are underway.US statistics indicate that the number of aircraft bird strikes reported in the U.S. quadrupled from 1990 to 2007,Cheap NFL Jerseys, rising from 1,738 per year to 7,439. These strikes caused 3,094 precautionary landings, 1,442 aborted takeoffs, 312 engine shutdowns and 1,162 minor negative effects.Worldwide, crashes of more than 25 large aircraft were caused by bird strikes since 1960, according to a published study by Dolbeer.In 23 of these incidents, the strike occurred below 400 feet. More than 219 people were killed and more than 200 aircraft destroyed in accidents attributed to bird strikes since 1988, Dolbeer and other researchers found. |
