Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said yesterday she is getting advice on how her ministry can finish repairs at the airport in Mayaguana without interfering with the heads of agreement signed between the I-Group and the government. The mother, sister and brother-in-law of former Cabinet minister Sidney Collie were killed early Thursday morning when a plane crashed into their truck on the airport's runway. They were using the truck's high beams to guide the nine-seater LeAir plane onto the runway, officials said.
The plane was scheduled to pick up Collie's ill uncle and take him to Nassau. Under the I-Group agreement, the developers are responsible for the refurbishment of the airport and runway. The lights were not functioning because of the I-Group's ongoing work, MICAL MP V. Alfred Gray said. Last week, Hanna-Martin pledged to install lights at the airport but said that process could take at least six weeks. "My objective now is to procure the repair of that runway so that it is usable and allows proper air access to Mayaguana," she said yesterday.
"There is an agreement with the I-Group, so we have to get advice as to how to proceed. The agreement is with the state, but this is a major component (the runway work) that has been deficient. "The problem is these runway works have been prolonged and have affected airlift to Mayaguana." A representative from the I-Group will meet with Mayaguana officials today to discuss the accident that killed three people at the island's airstrip, Mayaguana Administrator Charles Moss said. He said the I-Group's Mayaguana representative Tim Haffner was off the island at the time of the crash.
"We all have to be on the same page moving forward from here," Moss said. He said while residents of the tight-knit community are still coming to grips with the horrific accident they were pleased at the response from the government so far. Hanna-Martin and Gray visited Mayaguana hours after the crash. "The fact that they are going to have the lights installed is appreciated," Moss said. He explained that one half of the runway is inoperable due to ongoing work. Moss indicated last week that Mayaguana residents were angered by the state of the runway and the fact that it led to the deaths of three people.
Residents of the small community held a church service at the airport yesterday to remember the victims, Moss said. Hilbert Collie, who lost his mother, sister and brother-in-law in the crash, lamented the fact that it took the loss of three lives for officials to realize the need for emergency lights at the airport. "It's a little bit late, but it's never too late to do what is good," Collie said. When asked if his family had any plans to sue over the deaths, Collie said it had not been discussed among grieving relatives. "We don't rule out any possibility, but that's not one that we have discussed for the immediate term," he said.
"I don't know if anyone is contemplating that at this time. "Right now the most important thing is to try and grieve and see how we can overcome the tragedy of our loss." The twin-engine plane landed in Mayaguana around 1 a.m. Thursday. One of its wings clipped an F-150 truck driven by a woman. The plane spun out of control and hit another truck, which burst into flames on impact, officials said. The victims were trapped inside the burning truck and their bodies were burnt beyond recognition, according to officials. It took investigators hours to remove the bodies from the scene because of their condition.
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