Flight Safety Information July 30, 2011 - No. 156 In This Issue Jet from New York crashes in Guyana; no deaths Jet overshot runway during night landing Preliminary Data Jet from New York crashes in Guyana; no deaths GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) - A Caribbean Airlines jet coming from New York crashed and broke in two while landing in Guyana with 163 people aboard on Saturday, causing several injuries but no deaths, said President Bharrat Jagdeo. The Boeing 737-800 apparently overshot the 7,400-foot (2,200-meter) runway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport in rainy weather and barreled through a chain-link fence. It barely missed a 200-foot (60-meter) ravine that could have resulted in dozens of fatalities, he said. "We are very, very grateful that more people were not injured," he said as authorities temporarily closed the airport, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and delaying dozens of flights. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Authorities struggled at first to remove passengers without adequate field lights and other emergency equipment. About 100 people received medical attention, with four hospitalized for serious injuries, said Devant Maharaj, transportation minister in Trinidad, where Caribbean Airlines is based. He said the company is sending a team to Guyana to help investigate the crash. No further details were available. Maharaj spoke at a press conference in Trinidad and took no questions, saying the investigation is ongoing. Among the injured was Geeta Ramsingh, 41, of Philadelphia, who said passengers had just started to applaud the touchdown "when it turned to screams," she said, pointing to bruises on her knees. She said she hopped onto the wing and then onto the dirt road outside the runway fence. "I am upset that no one came to rescue us in the dark, but a taxi driver appeared from nowhere and charged me $20 to take me to the terminal. I had to pay, but in times of emergencies, you don't charge people for a ride," she said, sitting on a chair in the arrival area surrounded by relatives. She was returning to her native country for only the second time in 30 years. Adis Cambridge, 42, of Guyana, said she felt the thump of a hard landing but did not think much of it until seconds later. "I realized that everything was on top of me, people and bags. I was the second to last person to get off that plane in the dark," she said, surrounded by her two young children who had come to the airport to meet her after a brief holiday in the U.S. "I hit my head on the roof. It was so scary," she said as she described hopping onto the wing and then jumping down to the dirt road below as crews with flashlights and beams from fire engines searched for passengers. Some passengers asked authorities for their luggage but were told it was not a priority at the time. The plane had left New York and made a stop in Trinidad before landing in Guyana. The airline said it was carrying 157 passengers and six crewmembers. Jagdeo said he has asked the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board to help investigate the crash. The airport's main terminal reopened late Saturday morning to only a couple of small planes, including a LIAT airline bound for Barbados, said Orin Walton, a local representative for the Antigua-based carrier. The crash of Flight BW523 is the worst in recent history in Guyana, and only one of the few serious incidents involving the Trinidad-based airline. It is the single largest carrier in the region, operating at least five daily flights. Back to Top Jet overshot runway during night landing * Broken leg, minor injuries reported GEORGETOWN, July 30 (Reuters) - A packed Caribbean Airlines jet carrying 163 people crashed and broke in two on Saturday as it tried to land in Guyana at night, injuring several passengers but killing no one. The Boeing 737-800 overshot the runway after arriving at Georgetown's Cheddi Jagan airport just past midnight from New York. It had stopped over in Trinidad. Passengers screamed when the plane lost control and many fled through emergency exits when it finally came to a stop, a local newspaper reported. "It was terror," a woman passenger whose husband opened the exit door told Kaieteur News. "I was praying to Jesus." One passenger suffered a broken leg, an airline spokeswoman said, and others reported neck and back injuries. "We are very, very thankful and grateful that there are no deaths," Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo said at the airport. A photo published by local newspaper Stabroek News showed a Caribbean Airlines plane with the half its fuselage broken off and resting in thick undergrowth. Flight BW-523 was carrying 157 passengers and six crew. The Trinidad and Tobago- based Caribbean Airlines said it did not know the cause of the accident. Boeing's (BA.N) 737-800 model was introduced in 1996 and has previously suffered eight serious crashes causing a total of 525 deaths, according to the Flight Safety Foundation. Back to Top Preliminary Data Date: 30-JUL-2011 Time: 01:32am LT Type: Boeing 737-832(WL) Operator: Caribbean Airlines Registration: 9Y-PBM C/n / msn: 29635/2326 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 162 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Cheddi Jagan International Airport - SYCJ, Georgetown - Guyana Phase: Landing Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Piarco International Airport - TTPS Destination airport: Cheddi Jagan International Airport - SYCJ Narrative: A Carribean Airlines Boeing 737 performing flight BW-523 overshot the runway in wet weather and broke in half. The flight had originated in New York JFK,NY via Port of Spain. Some injuries but no deaths. Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14353610 Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC