Between January 22 and 27, there were two incidents involving Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) ATR 72-600 aircraft.
The first incident occurred on January 22, when, on arrival at ANR Robinson International Airport from Adams International Airport, Barbados, ground personnel discovered one of the aircraft’s two nose wheels was missing. It was subsequently found in a remote area in Barbados.
In the second incident, on January 27, an aircraft on a flight from ANR Robinson International Airport experienced a flameout of one of its two engines during the final approach into Piarco International Airport. CAL’s line minister Colm Imbert later told the Senate the flameout was caused by the “inaccurate measurement of the amount of fuel in the left tank.”
The ICAO Annex 13 defines an accident as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft in which a person is fatally or seriously injured, the aircraft sustains damage or structural failure or the aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible.
Annex 13 also defines an incident as an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft which affects or could affect the safety of operation.
A serious incident is one in which circumstances indicate there was a high probability of an accident.
The difference between an accident and a serious incident lies in the result.
The first incident can be classified as serious, because there was a high probability of an accident, since the falling nose wheel could have caused fatal or serious injuries to people on the ground.
The two incidents happened on the much politicised domestic airbridge and sparked a fury of comments from concerned people, social-media commentators and the media, all calling for investigations and audits into CAL operations.
On January 30 both the Guardian and Newsday newspapers carried editorials on the incidents, both of which were a bit off course. The Guardian opinion stated in part, “In launching the investigation, CAL has responded to the second incident in accordance with international aviation standards. The airline must also ensure that the probe is thorough, quick and involves all of the parties concerned, including the aircraft’s manufacturer. At the end of the investigatory process, the resulting report must be laid in Parliament, so that it can be consumed and digested by the airline’s various publics.”
While CAL has the right to do internal investigations into incidents and accidents, the director general of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has statutory responsibility and powers vested in him by the Civil Aviation ((No 14) Accident and Investigation) Regulations approved by Parliament to investigate all accidents, serious incidents and incidents of TT-registered aircraft, wherever an accident or incident occurs.
The Newsday editorial said, “The airline needs to pay particular attention to the concerns raised by pilots about its aging ATR fleet.”
Aircraft do age with calendar time, and hours and cycles flown. However, based on industry standards
