Marigot:--- SMN News received detailed information from someone who seems to know exactly what transpired prior to the TAI aircraft crash which took the lives of four people early Saturday morning. A press release dated May 6th 2012 with detailed information states that everyone needs to know the details of the plane crash a Piper Cheyenne III registration F-GXES company TAI (Air Transport Intercaraïbes) which occurred shortly after takeoff from St. Martin Grand Case Espérance May 5, 2012 at 2:38 am while the aircraft was engaged in a private medical evacuation mission to Fort de France, on behalf (charter) company IWIA (International West Indies Assistance) 97200 Fort de France.
The facts they said is the company Iwia (International Assitance West Indies) 97200 Fort de France, whose corporate purpose is to organize repatriation flights was contacted by the latter is contacted by the patient's private insurance Cypriot and organizes the evacuation of the patient who was hospitalized on the Dutch (SMMC) of the island of St Martin bound for Martinique. According to medical personnel at the hospital in the Dutch side (SMMC: St. Maarten Medical Center), the patient was in-transportable because of his cardiac instability. Nevertheless, and against all odds, the company chartering the company IWIA TC AIR (based in Martinique) provided an aircraft, a King Air 90 F-GBPZ registration.
The aircraft took off with a single pilot, a doctor and a nurse. The aircraft landed at Juliana Airport in the evening but could not depart because of a mechanical failure which confined it to the ground.
At 11:55 p.m. The doctor, identified as Jean Michel Dudouit (who died in the accident) called the operations center of the company Jet Budget (St Maarten) requesting assistance to transport the patient to Fort de France Martinique.
The company, Jet Budget through Christopher Chassel informs that the doctor that they have a contract, Louis Constant Fleming Hospital and therefore they must remain available 24/24 for the French side hospital. Mr Chassel Christophe refused to give the patient and doctor any assistance but advised the IWIA doctor to take the patient to the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital so that he could have been stabilized and they could have left the following morning to Fort de France.
According to the press release IWIA and the doctor has perfect knowledge of the security problems of the airline TAI, yet they decided to charter an aircraft from the company. The writer of the press release said that an (Ambulance Eric) transported the patient and medical team, to the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital and they have since confirmed that the patient had no less than five cardiac arrests in the ambulance from Juliana Airport and St Martin Grand Case. (Travel time 30 minutes at this late hour) This statement confirms that the patient was in-transportable. The patient's condition worsens to the point that the doctor on board demanded that medication be furnished by the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital prior to their departure to Fort de France. These medications were given to them and it was administered on the tarmac at the Grand Case Airport.
The unit of TAI (Piper Cheyenne GXES registered F-1981) took off from Grand Case (which opened its runway at night) with a single pilot and crashes shortly after takeoff from Grand Case and the islet of Tintamarre killing four people (pilot, doctor, nurse and patient). All this with the consent of its leader Gerard M April, present on the airport tarmac at the times of the facts.
Note that the second pilot of the TAI, which had to be present was not contacted ... (This demonstrates the operational and organizational TAI makes DIY air ...) Witnesses (on Orient Bay) said they saw the aircraft flying at very low altitude and making a loud and abnormal noise.
The writer of the press release which was written in the French Language gave some background information on the operations of TAI .
"For many years the medical staff of the hospital of St. Martin (Louis Constant Fleming) had protested the conditions and securities of company aircraft TAI denouncing "aircraft trash" The company TAI had his contract terminated for MEDEVAC by Hospital of St Martin in June 2010 on grounds of general interest (clearly dominated by the poor security apparatus) To maintain its hold on the evacuation of the island of St. Martin, the influential leaders of the company TAI even managed to reduce their exclusive benefit traffic rights to other airlines (including some with aircraft type Jet entirely medicalized), so that none of such charterer or originator of the French side of the island of St Martin could not organize a medical evacuation flight ... without prior consultation with the company ... The company TAI, supported by civil aviation authorities locally, regionally and nationally, has appealed the decision breach of contract before the administrative court of Basse Terre. The judge conclude January 5, 2012 "recognized that the TAI is jeopardizing patient safety and medical teams"
On January 5, 2012, coordination of doctors at the hospital of St Martin, asked the Regional Agency for Health to suspend recognition of the company's health TAI! Nothing was done, TAI continues to be allowed to operate flights for medical evacuation.
Questions: 1 - How to society Iwia you she organized the evacuation Health? Using a company whose first unit fails then chartered a second with the TAI with the consequences that we know? The UAS of Fort de France is not the principal, it is Iwia which is principal, because it is a private medical flight.
2 - Why such stubbornness in wanting to transport a patient "in-transportable" Hospital of the Dutch party to Martinique? The simple transfer of the patient from the hospital in the Dutch part of the island, to the hospital in the French side could have saved lives! Indeed the French hospital could have triggered the evacuation under contract with the operator! The patient with Cyprus may be a European social security ...
3 - It seems that the financial implications (Payment of a nice amount of money by insurance
private company Iwia) have surpassed all the principles of medical ethics and aviation safety.
4 - How full-time employees of the Hospital of Fort de France, may find themselves engaged in a private medical evacuation abroad? Should check the list of personnel of this company, but also the list of shareholders ...
5 - Witnesses report seeing the aircraft flying at an altitude abnormal and emitting considerable noise. These testimonials are key because it can be said that the inhabitants of the island of St Martin have a significant visual and sensory experience in aviation (every day people see dozens of aircraft in flight around the island of St Martin and they have dens and visual sensory unconscious)
6 - What is happened between 11:55 p.m. hours call the doctor Iwia is 2:33 departure time? The patient care "ambulance" they would have been different or better at the Centre Hospitalier of St Martin? Why a stubborn way?
7 - A single-pilot! It's a habit with TAI, especially at 2:30 am! Doctors at the Hospital Louis Constant Fleming for years always denounced this fact.
8 - The device Piper PA-42 Cheyenne III of the company F-GXES is a unit of more than 30 years old (built in 1981). It'sa device "reformed" by the French customs with which he had already provided 20 years of missions! How a camera by reformed the state can still be used to make medical evacuation flights private or public?
9 - A former pilot who died suddenly of TAI (Michel Desbois) to openly declared and publicly denounced multiple failures and other serious problems on the device Piper PA42-F GXES ... Many witnesses and meeting minutes from the hospital demonstrate. It would have informed the DGCA Regional. For having spoken too much, this driver was dismissal procedure just before his death.
10 - Rumor has it that the company TAI because of these influential leaders, obtained easily and at will "opt out" administrative! But also exceptions "potential drivers" on the F-GXES. BEA and its experts will focus on our audits.
11 - The financial resources and maintenance of the company TAI will be scrutinized.
12 - With what exceptions the company TAI to you it could re-open the track in Grand Case at 2:30 am? Under what procedures? With what alternate airport "open" at this late hour? Recall that the control tower juliana which manages air traffic in the area
was closed at the time. Remember that airport Grand Case is known to be an airport "special" for takeoffs / landings at night?
13 - A meeting of staff of the control tower of Grand Case was held recently before the Drama. The latter denounced the obligation by the managers of the Grand Case airport to "reopen" the night (no requisition of the prefecture!) On behalf of the company TAI while the latter is no longer under contract public service with the hospital of St Martin!! Response of the company managing the airport in Grand Case, "If you do not open at night, it lowers your wages!" 14 - M Belloti (Expert recognized air) and M Mangenot (DGAC St Martin) close friends of Mr. Jack Gerard Simmonet April and will be excluded from the survey. Here are 14 points, the obvious questions about the "chain of responsibility" that led to the death of four persons. This accident demonstrates alone, while all public authorities were warned of severe long-standing security problems of TAI, but their actions were improperly supported "a French company and its influential leaders" at the expense of safety. And finally, again, that all arguments, whether personal, financial or competitive must never override safety.
(Above is an un-edited version of the English Translation of the press release sent to SMN News.)
Click here to view the French version of the press release sent to SMN News.
