Small plane crashes at Canefield Airport in Dominica due to strong winds

Dominica: A small aircraft carrying two people crashed to the ground at the Canefield Airport in Dominica on Wednesday morning due to the strong winds brought by Hurricane Beryl. According to the sources, the pilot and his wife, being the only occupants on the aircraft, which was a single-engine Cessna, sustained minor injuries while the plane was damaged severely.

It is being said that the pilot cited strong winds during take off from the Canefield Airport which further led to the toppling of the aircraft following which it crashed to the ground.

The Programme Officer in the Government of Dominica, Don Corriette, spoke about the incident and said, “The pilot said he encountered some wind shear, and as a result, the aircraft flipped.” [caption id="attachment_72836" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Plane crashes to the ground in Dominica[/caption]

He further hoped that the incident drives home the point to the authorities that their shoulder should be clear of obstructions or obstacles, and that the grass should be maintained.

According to Corriette, while an investigation will be conducted to verify what transpired, Dominica on that day was experiencing post-tropical conditions during which the island experienced wind shear, downdrafts, and unstable atmospheric conditions around the around airports, making it very difficult, especially for lighter aircrafts to manage in the air. He urged the people that if they still want to fly out in such weather conditions, they must make sure to do at a time when it is safe as per the Meteorological Office or else it could be really dangerous for the occupants.

The aircraft should also be checked properly, whether the fuel tank is full or not and the gears are in intact position, to avoid the chances of any accidents, said the Programme Officer.

“And furthermore, if I must add to that, we just went through a tropical system at Beryl, which caused some more gusty winds, and we had pallets on the runway,” he added, noting that it is not a safe time to fly during hurricanes or tropical storm warnings and watches.