(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, on Saturday, 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.”
