J8-KVY RC500S SVG Air
now rep as J8-VAX RC500S c/n 1869-45 SVG Air
Caribbean Controllers suspended as aircraft wreckage found SVG Air is owned and operated by the Barnard and Gravel families who take an active role in the day-to-day running of the airline. CEO is former pilot Martin Barnard whose son-in-law, Captain Paul Gravel, is Head of Operations whilst another son-in-law, Captain Dominic Gonsalves (who is believed to have died in Sunday's crash), is a Pilot. Martin's daughters, Joanne and Leslie, run the reservations and administrative offices (Photo: SVG Air) (Pictured is NOT Dominic Gonsalves) KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, November 21, 2006 - The discovery of wreckage last evening has dashed hopes of finding survivors of a plane crash off St Vincent. The discovery came on the heels of the suspension of Air Traffic Controllers, on duty at the time of the crash, as investigators are set to arrive here tomorrow.
Combined sea and air search and rescue turned up parts of a fuselage believed to be that of a five-seater SVG Air, Aero Commander 500S, aircraft which went missing Sunday night. On board was the pilot and part owner of the SVG Air, Dominic Gonsalves, and American Eagle Manager on Canouan, Trinidadian Rasheed Imbrahim.
Earlier in the day the country's Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, said that the "circumstances are such that one has to prepare for the worse".
Director of Airports, Corsel Robertson, said that the plane, with registration number J8 VAX, left Canouan, on what should have been a 13-minute flight., at 6:42 pm Sunday. Four minutes later it contacted the Control Tower at the ET Joshua Airport which instructed the pilot that when he was passing the island of Bequia that he should again contact them. That he did at 6:51 pm to say that he was descending through 1100 feet and would be landing in four minutes.
Air Traffic Control sources told Caribbean360 that the weather was find and the wind was 10 to 15 knots - nothing unusual for flying. The aircraft never arrived even though other airport sources were adamant that the flight was logged as having arrived at 6:55 pm.
Robertson said that the alert was not raised until after 9:30 pm.
"The circumstances surrounding the delay are being investigated and the officers on duty at the time communication was lost with the aircraft have been relieved of their duties pending the outcome of the investigation," said Robertson.
After being alerted Sunday night the local coast guard, pleasure and fishing boats searched the waters between Bequia and St Vincent. Early Monday morning the Barbados-based Regional Security System sent its aircraft to join the search. The French rescue services from Martinique also sent an aircraft and just after midday an aircraft Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard as well as a helicopter from the island's anti-crime unit joined the search. Wreckage was located late Monday. Venezuela is expected to join the search tomorrow.
Officials from the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) are scheduled to arrive in Kingstown tomorrow to start the probe into the circumstances of the disappearance of the plane.
Prime Minister Gonsalves said an appropriate investigation would be conducted and would include circumstances "in respect of the aircraft coming out of the sky and also after the aircraft was down did the Tower respond in a manner which was in the best proficient and professional tradition and whether we mounted our search and rescue in the most efficacious way."
Within recent times there were two airline mishaps in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
On June 31, 2004 a Trans-Island twin otter aircraft ran off the Et Joshua airport runway and crashed into the perimeter wire fence, two feet from the main road. The plane was apparently stopped from entering the busy highway by a storm drain and the perimeter fence.
The three occupants of the plane at the time - the pilot, his co-pilot, and an engineer - all escaped without injury, though a little shaken.
On September 6, 1990 a Beech58 aircraft with a pilot and five passengers crashed in Union Island after arriving from Martinique.
The SVG Air aircraft was enroute from Martinique to St Vincent with a stop in Canouan.
Last edited by Sensible Garage; 22nd Nov 2006 at 15:19.