Mexico suspends Global Air operations
HAVANA – The General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Mexico decided this week to temporarily suspend Global Air while conducting investigations into last Friday’s plane crash.
The plane was headed from Havana to Holguin. The investigation is common practice in cases like the one that so far has claimed 111 lives. The plane crashed on May 18, just two kilometers from the point of departure, José Martí International Airport in Havana. Global and Damojh Airlines, which owns the aircraft, are key actors in the investigations into the accident.
The action taken by the Mexican authorities is being held parallel with the other investigative process, and added to the one already begun in Havana, to determine the causes of the accident.
The operating airline for the flight, and the company, are subject to the protocol that for these cases applies to all members of the Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
But the Mexican authorities are also investigating if the company was in full compliance with all the requirements to operate. It is also interesting to note that, according to all reports, this company had been approved to fly until 2020.
But the fatal accident in Havana has brought to light some interesting facts:
- In recent years Damojh has been suspended on two occasions for technical failures during flights to Vallarta, in Mexico.
- There have been complaints by a former pilot of that airline, Marco Aurelio Hernández, about the existence of technical failures. According to the Spanish newspaper El País, the suspension lasted for four months between the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014.
According to Cuba’s Minister of Transportation, Adel Izquierdo Rodríguez, the authorities have all the documentation of the contracts with the airline, as well as the rigorous certifications approved by the Mexican authorities. The contract stipulates that the maintenance of the equipment is the responsibility of the Mexican company.
The sure thing is that we already know who participates in the Investigative Commission, which is chaired by the Cuban Institute of Civil Aeronautics, according to established international protocols.
The technical research, a primary and essential task, has two resources: one of the two black boxes (which records voice communications); the other, not yet found, can indicate technical-mechanical failures. Investigators will also analyze recovered pieces, according to their state of utility.
As for the recovered black box, it could store communications of the plane with the control tower. For its part, the control tower receives and stores all communications it receives. Therefore, these must exist. I will remind you that when the unpunished crime of the Cubana plane that was flying from Barbados to Cuba, the voices of our pilots were clearly heard — especially that shocking phrase: “Get close to the water, Fello …” — although the plane’s boxes were never found.
Sticking to technical research is the key. From there, all subsequent analysis emanates.
