BY KEVA LIGHTBOURNE
Guardian Senior Reporter
kdl@nasguard.com
Former Civil Aviation Inspector and consultant Randy Butler yesterday called for a public inquiry to be held into Tuesday's deadly plane crash in Lake Killarney.
"I believe that it is the only way we are going to know because most of the incidents and accidents in The Bahamas we have not seen any reports from them and so now we need to[make]the ones that we pay accountable and we need to know that we have an appropriate system, an adequate system in place that we are paying for.
"We need to know because I am flying airplanes every day. I am an operator and I fly on these airplanes, my wife flies on my airplanes and we need to make sure that the public understands that it is safe...So I think a public inquiry will be part of that."
Butler, chief executive officer and president of Sky Bahamas, made the call one day after a nine-seater Cessna aircraft crashed in the shallow waters of Lake Killarney killing all eight people onboard.
He claimed that for some time a situation like this has been likely as there is a lack of proper oversight of the country's aviation industry.
Accident Investigator of the Flight Standard Inspectorate Delvin Major toldThe Nassau Guardianthat the Acklins Blue Air Charter, which was operated by veteran pilot Nelson Hanna, was not certified.
Major said investigators have no idea what caused the crash and that would not be determined for some time. Up to press time last night authorities were still trying to pull the Cessna aircraft out of the lake.
Major said the manufacturer of the aircraft is going to assist with the investigation.
Butler said yesterday that there is a"great demand"in the country for charter services, which in many cases are not certified.
"If you go out there right now(General Aviation Department)you would see that there are probably 30 private little airplanes that are running there all day. You pull up there and they will ask you where you[are]going,"Butler said.
He charged that Tuesday's accident is"a wake up call".
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