Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 was a passenger flight that overran the runway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Georgetown, Guyana, on 30 July 2011. Out of the 163 occupants onboard, no one was killed, but seven people were injured. The aircraft involved, a Boeing 737-8BK, was operating Caribbean Airlines' scheduled international service from John F. Kennedy Airport, New York, to Georgetown, Guyana.
Background
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-8BK, MSN 29635, registered as 9Y-PBM, that was built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 2007. It logged about 14861 airframe hours and was equipped with two CFM56-7B26/3 engines.[1][2]: 26
Crew
There were two pilots in the flight deck:
- The captain of the flight was 52-year-old Fareed Dean.[3] He had been flying for the airline for 25 years, and had logged 9,600 hours of total flight time, of which 5,000 were on the Boeing 737-800. Prior to the accident flight, Dean had only slept for two-and-a-half hours due to an "all-day meeting," but he considered himself to have been well-rested.[2]: 24
- The first officer was 23-year-old Jason Naipaul.[3] He had been flying for the airline for three years, and had a total flight time of 1,400 hours, of which 350 hours were on the Boeing 737-800. This was the crew's first pairing together, but First Officer Naipaul knew of Captain Dean, "by reputation to be a good, honest person, who knew how to boost people’s morale."[4][2]: 24
Accident
The aircraft failed to stop in rainy weather, overrunning the runway at 01:32 local time (05:32 UTC), crashing through the perimeter fence. The aircraft stopped 100 metres (330 ft) past the end of runway 06 after it went over a road and broke into two sections.[5][6][7]
There were 157 passengers and 6 crew on the aircraft.[8][9] There were no fatalities,[7] and serious injuries were two passengers suffering broken legs. The majority of the injured were treated at Diamond Diagnostic Hospital then sent onto Georgetown Public Hospital, where 35 passengers were treated for leg, back and neck injuries. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[10][11][12][13] The accident represents the ninth hull loss of a Boeing 737-800.[5]
Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar flew to Guyana to assess the situation, because the government of Trinidad and Tobago owns Caribbean Airlines.[14] Guyana's emergency response team appeared at the accident scene two hours after the incident. Further officials from the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA) and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were invited to Guyana to aid in investigations.[15][16] The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) will head the technical investigation, with assistance from the NTSB and the TTCAA.[17]
Investigation
The Government Information Agency (GINA) Guyana reported the probable cause to be pilot error, stating: "The cause of the accident was the aircraft touching down far beyond the touchdown zone due to the captain maintaining excess power during the flare and not using the airplane's full deceleration capacity, resulting in the aircraft over running the pavement and fracturing the fuselage."[5][18]
See also
- Fly Jamaica Airways Flight 256, a runway excursion at the same airport, on the same runway, ending in the same spot, seven years later
- Air India Express Flight 812, another Boeing 737-800 that suffered a runway excursion due to pilot error, with fatalities.
- American Airlines Flight 331, also experienced a runway excursion due to inclement weather and pilot error.
References
- ^ "Accident Boeing 737-8BK (WL) 9Y-PBM, Saturday 30 July 2011". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT – RUNWAY EXCURSION ON LANDING – CARIBBEAN AIRLINES FLIGHT BW 523 – BOEING 737-800 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO REGISTRATION 9Y-PBM – CHEDDI JAGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TIMEHRI GUYANA" (PDF). SKYbrary Aviation Safety. Guyana Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ a b La Rose, Miranda (3 August 2011). "Pilots trapped in cabin". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ "Crash of a Boeing 737-8BK in Georgetown | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ a b c Ranter, Harro (August 2011). "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ^ "Caribbean B738 bei Landung zerbrochen". Aero.de. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ a b Niles, Russ (July 2011). "No Fatalities in Guyana Overrun". AVweb. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "No fatalities as Caribbean Boeing 737-800 crashes in Guyana". Flight Global. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "Caribbean Airlines press release". Georgetown, Guyana: Caribbean Airlines. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "Accident: Caribbean B738 at Georgetown on Jul 30th 2011, overran runway". avherald.com. Georgetown, Guyana: The Aviation Herald. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ Mohamed, Zulficar (30 July 2011). "Plane from New York crashes at Guyana airport". BBC. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ Castillo, Mariano (30 July 2011). "Passengers safe after Guyana plane crash". CNN. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "Commercial Plane Crashes in Guyana; No Deaths". ABC News. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "No fatalities as Caribbean Airlines craft crashes in Guyana". Kaieteur News. 30 July 2011.
- ^ "News". Starcom Network. Bridgetown, St. Michael. 30 July 2011.
- ^ "CRASH UPDATE: US to assist in probing Caribbean Airlines crash". Caribbean360.com. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ "CARIBBEAN AIRLINES FLIGHT #523 STATEMENT 3: ISSUED 30 JULY 2011 AT 17.00HOURS Archived 2 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine." Caribbean Airlines. 30 July 2011. Retrieved on 4 August 2011.
- ^ "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT, RUNWAY EXCURSION ON LANDING, CARIBBEAN AIRLINES, FLIGHT BW 523, BOEING 737-800, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO REGISTRATION 9Y-PBM, CHEDDI JAGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TIMEHRI GUYANA 062956.1490N 0581515.670 W, 30th July, 2011" (PDF). Guyana Civil Aviation Authority. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
External links
- Caribbean Airlines notification, 1 August 2011.
- Caribbean Airlines service announcement, 2 September 2011
- Final report, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority