(Trinidad Express) Trinidadian pilot Fareed Dean, 51, the man who flew Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flight BW523, which crashed while landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Guyana, yesterday, always made the safety of his passengers a priority.
This statement was made yesterday by one of Dean’s brothers, Fayad, when the Sunday Express visited the family’s Chaguanas home.
There were 157 passengers and six crew members on board aircraft Boeing 737-800 when it apparently overshot the 7,400-foot runway at the airport in rainy weather and barreled through a chain-link fence.
Dean, a father of three children and a pilot for approximately 18 years, was able to speak with his wife for two minutes after the incident.
The family received news of the crash around 2.30 a.m. yesterday by CAL officials who told them that Dean was not injured as a result of the incident.
The airline did not give further details surrounding the incident to family members.
He was able to speak with his wife and he told her that he was alright and there was no need to worry about anything, Fayad said.
Even though relatives appeared to be in high spirits yesterday at the residence, Fayad said they were very saddened and troubled by the tragic incident.
“It is very sad when we first heard what happened. We have not been given much details from them (CAL) on the incident and all that we are aware of is what we see and hear on the news.”
“Our family is thankful that nobody died and there was only one serious injury. It’s really sad and unfortunate what happened today (yesterday) and our prayers goes out to the all those who were affected,” Fayad said.
Fayad added that they have not been able to communicate with Dean after he spoke with his wife because of restrictions imposed as a full scale investigation takes place into the incident.
He said he had intentions of flying to Guyana on behalf of his family to seek the interest of his brother, who would have been affected mentally by the incident since his number one priority, whenever he commands an aircraft, is the safety of his passengers and crew.
“He must be very traumatised right now because he is always very concerned about people’s welfare, whether he knows them or not. He is responsible for the lives of every passenger and crew persons and that was always his main priority when he is in the air,” Fayad said.
