UP TO late yesterday afternoon, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), had not yet received a formal report from the pilots of Air Jamaica Flight 010 who aborted its landing Sunday at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.
Colonel Torrance Lewis, head of the CAA told The Gleaner yesterday that the Authority's investigators had not yet taken statements from the pilots involved. "My flight safety people are working on it (the investigation) but I don't think they have as yet received statements from the pilots who are off duty," he said. "We are waiting to get those."
The CAA head expects to have the report ready for Transport and Works Minister Robert Pickersgill by tomorrow.
The Minister asked the CAA to conduct an investigation into why the Air Jamaica flight from New York to Kingston was forced to abort its landing and instead fly to the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
Initial reports are that bad weather associated with Hurricane Michelle and failed navigation equipment caused the aircraft to miss the runway. It was reportedly using the alternate radio navigation aid, as the primary equipment had become unserviceable because of damage from the heavy Sunday showers.
Colonel Lewis confirmed yesterday that the equipment, a DVOR, went off the air but was now up and running. He said the aircraft was forced to use the back up non-directional beacon in Garveymeade, Portmore.
The failure combined with poor visibility made it difficult for the crew to determine the position of the aircraft relative to the runway.
The "missed approach" resulted in the aircraft flying what was described as an "unusual track" over the city.
