Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dominica Air & Seaport Authority (DASPA), Benoit Bardouille has confirmed that a small French Cessna aircraft with one occupant, the pilot, has crashed 4.5 miles West of the Douglas Charles Airport.
In an interview with reporter, Carlisle Jno Baptiste today April 18, 2019, Bardouille said. “We were informed by the French authorities about 8:22 am that they had lost contact with a small aircraft going from Martinique to Guadeloupe 6 miles off the Douglas-Charles airport in Dominica and that they needd help from Dominica in locating the aircraft.”
He said the crash occurred about 4.5 miles in a wooded area west of the Douglas Charles airport.
“Based on the coordinates that they provided, we had to ask for assistance of a helicopter because the area where the aircraft was located is a very difficult terrain,” Bardouille said. “I can confirm that that assistance is currently being provided and the aircraft has been identified in a location west of the airport and ground personnel in Dominica are putting a rescue plan together to get to the aircraft.”
He said that the Douglas Charles Airport has not been affected and is fully operational.
“I must repeat that it is in a very difficult wooded area and they will, and are doing all possible to get to it. I want to also point out that the Douglas-Charles Airport has not been affected in no way shape or form and is operating as usual on schedule with its regular flights,” Bardouille stated.
@ Sakah, This is one of the best jokes I have had on DNO more of it please!!
@man bites dog >> That you ask The Lord Almighty for protection from any forms of disaster or premature death when you travel ? Tell all of us reading where the humour is in that….
Waiting….
Wat all u ppl doe understand is no1 was taken out out of the plane yet bcuz of the area… U ppl need to stop dat politics an come together we all want the hospital but u Marigot ppl don’t understand understand dat skerritt is listening to us the ppl… Stop confusing the man an wait plz
Skerrit listening to the people?? You must be living in a different country. Skerrit listens to nobody, he’s a dictator in the making.
sorry to hear that news
We do not need a hospital in Marigto whatsoever. It’s a waste of time to build one.
We must be very careful what we wish for, you all were asking for plane crash right now two in two weeks. Lord have mercy on all those wishing Dominica bad.
% an International Airport will be built in Wesley.If the money from. MEXICO is made available a hospital will be built in Marigot.Jumbee money will not be used to build an Airport in Marigot,as long as Linton is Parl Rep.The Hospital will be built in Wesley close to the International Airport.Right now there are surveyors,surveying the land for the Airport.Period.
According to reports from Martinique it is a single engine, French built Socata TB, flown by a pilot “well known in local aviation circles” on its way from Fort-de-France to Point-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe. according to the source it came down near Diablotin.
Skerrit and his MISLEADERS must take note of the need for a well equipped hospital at Marigot..
Oh how wicked is this man called Skerrit!!!
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go
Lazy Skerrit Must Go Now
I wonder how the hospital at “marigot” in particular would have stopped a plane from crashing.
Your dam …., it could not stop the plane but if it was your familly that was on that plane… I doe think u would ask that question. U would want thee to be a hospital close by.. wicked set of people .. fire burn all you people
No, that’s not the point, a hospital no where would stop a plane from crashing, but if you were on a crashed plane, would you rather get to the hospital in 5 minutes? or in 55 minutes?
But then again, that’s the kind of logic I expect from you people
No one can’t stop plane from crashing. But are we equipped to deal with such emergency? That is what a well modernized and equip hospital in Marigot will serve as. Stop playing politics with help.
My God you Dominicans are worse than saint lucians in your politics. Everything is politics. Poisoned minds creating division. No concern about a potential loss of life. How stupid and ignorant is this?
I pray for the safety of the pilot and wish and hope no harm has come to the individual.
However I must note: Two hurricanes back to back, now two plane crashes back to back in such a short space of time? What more, what next? God’s reward is blessings and glory, but the devil wants payment, and will receive it no matter what, even if he has to sow chaos and destruction, the residency of his domain.
Is this a sign that too much evil and wickedness are coming from the leadership in Dominica? If you carefully read Deuteronomy, one can clearly see how frustrated God was with His own people, and the damage He sowed amongst them for their complaining and disbelief in His capacity, even if Moses constantly begged on their behalf. Because of the behavior of His chosen people God did not allow Moses, the leader, to see the Promise Land.
Is it the case that the same thing is happening to Dominica, and God wants to open our eyes?
You can judge for yourself.
Just dropped in again!
En route to Guadeloupe? Was it leaving Douglas Charles? or flying in our airspace en route to Guadeloupe.
Point is taken though, an urgent decision has to be taken re the Marigot Hospital and we also urgently have to be careful what we wish for. Don’t know who and when!
We didn’t miss you a bit. You are someone pretending to sit on the fence but in reality you are a shameless Skerrit supporter.
Neville
And since when that, even if it were so, is supposed to be a crime? I thought that the same constitution which gives you the right to support whoever you support, wrong, right or centre gives me that same right.
I honestly fear for the future you know because if you people have not got any where close to power and you are unable to tolerate dissent, alternative opinions, and actually make enemies of people for trying to see another perspective then heaven help us if you ever do.
I wonder if I will ever drop in again. I may as well leave this site so you all can have your “hate orgies” in peace.
As for you pompous intellectuals who are even more selective than the people you accuse, I hope I hear your voices when people like Sam Raphael bring facts, figures, dates and names without any law suits or even threats of it. I could cite many other blatant sweepings under the carpet of shameless wrong doings when people like you all were silent.
No moral authority sir!
How did this become political? I mean in the midst of a tragedy that’s all your childlike mind can muster?
Jumping to conclusions before know any of the facts. Poor my one-track minded people..
I await in hope with word on the status of the people and pray for a good outcome, which might mean a miracle.
People, you should be careful that you are not arrested by the Commonwealth of Dominica Police for inciting. I seem to recall that Soul Puss was arrested for “inciting”, which is a term in Dominica that is now synonymous with standing up for your human rights and speaking the truth. Quite ridiculous but we accept it. Again, St. Lucians (our Caribbean brothers and sisters we most often identify with) would never accept such disdain from its Government. Not even the General Secretary of the Public Service Union must legitimately speak on behalf of his members.
I was wondering if it was possible to incite a plane crash! Was actually wondering what was the connection between the two when I realised that not even the topic of a plane crash can keep some of us from harping back to the familiar mantra.
Recently, I was listening to news about Britain in the United Kingdom, one of the most sedate and dignified democracies in the world. Based on the conversation which goes on here I was surprised to hear that demonstrators were given permission to demonstrate in a confined area and given a time frame within which to do so.
I was even more surprised to hear that several of them were arrested for public order breaches and at least one charged with incitement.
I believe the Gen. Sec. of the PSU has a right to free expression whether doing so genuinely or with a hidden agenda. I would hate to think though that the employer’s representatives do not have the same right to interpret his behaviour, utterances and timing!
I do think you are being deliberately obtuse, fallacious and disingenuous in your argument here. You do know exactly what I am referring to. But let me help you though, since brevity of memory or dishonest selectivity of events is an attribute that defines a posture like yours.
The people of Marigot demonstrated and have done so for years concerning the absence of a hospital in the North Eastern district. At least one of them was arrested ostensibly for inciting. It is quite churlish for you to suggest that I am drawing a causal relationship between a plane crash and inciting. The fate of passengers and the cause of the Marigot demonstrators are inextricably bound. You are being dismissive of the Marigot people.
In terms of the employer having the right to interpret, you do know that does not also mean the “employer” (If that is what the Minister is) must be rude, vile and unsavoury. We can’t criticize our Government without being verbally abused – and arrested for inciting?
Things like this happening and Liat management wanna cut their pilot’s pay and they have been doing a suburb job keeping themselves and passengers safe. Let them take the cut and leave the hard working staff alone… they can’t fly the planes that keep them airborne but they wanna drag them down.
When you board these things you really have to ask God to hold it up till it land.
true, but also pray that if the plane is to fall, ask him to please don’t make it fall anywhere close to Marigot, since anyone in need of urgent medicare survive will certainly died.
thank god for skerrit..
The engine does that
Is it that some force over that airport now, scientist need to check it out, since when plane crashing so over Melville Hall airport so
So Sad… Pray to our Lord & God Jesus Christ that there are no casualties or death. Again All the More reason why We NEED our Marigot Hospital.
He that has an ear, let him hear… he that has an eye, let him see….
Hmmm. I am beginning to see a trend here. Thats the second crash for the month. In the meantime, we continue to wait on Mexico to decide whether they want to fund our Marigot Hospital or not.
Yep. They also using CBI money to build private villa but don’t see the need to build a hospital….. I will never understand.
Private Villa is joke. They using the CBI contractor NH to build it for them too. So in the end the CBI money still not staying here.
I know that some of us get excited by anything negative about Dominica but please read the report.
The plane did not leave from or land at Douglas Charles Airport. Mr. Bardouille was contacted by the French authorities to say they had lost contact with a plane flying from Martinique to Guadeloupe. It was not leaving from Douglas Charles or landing there.
It was discovered that it had crashed some distance away from Douglas Charles en route to Guadeloupe.
That’s the report. I know some of us would like it to be otherwise but that is the report.
These two recent incidents regarding aircraft’s at the Melville Hall airport highlights the urgency for the hospital in Marigot. Even if we have an international airport, which is slated to be constructed in the vicinity of Wesley/Marigot, the modern functioning, well-equipped hospital is paramount. After all, 18 years is more than enough time for any serious government to have a hospital built there. When will the double doctorate dude build the much-needed facility?
Jonathan
You have made some good points but please read the report. The plane had nothing to do with Douglas Charles Airport unless the pilot was experiencing difficulty and had diverted and was trying to reach there. The pilot was headed to Guadeloupe from Martinique.
Thanks. Happy Easter full of reflection on life and the account that we have to give in the after life.
The know it alls can only talk, and talk from far away. Their only contribution is fueling hate based on propaganda. Time to make some meaningful contribution. Start by visiting Dominica more often.
Hope everyone is ok
By the grace of God
Wow a crash again boy? Ok is a small private plane so maybe one or two passengers I hope. But what if the police meet them alive but they need immediate medical attention? Once again can you all understand what Skerrit did to the people of Dominica and visitors when he decided to punish the people of Marigot for voting UWP? Yes we think is Marigot people that need the hospital but you can see is all of us and that’s why we should turn out in large numbers to demand that Skerrit is no longer our crime minister because the man too damn wicked. Yes I am so red that even my eyes are red but I don’t see RED, I see Dominica
Yes Dominican, let’s continue to walk with our eyes closed and hope everyone is alright in a small plane that crashed in the hights of Marigot. So let’s be nice, close our eyes and bow our heads