7 News Belize

Team Investigating Helicopter Flight Is Diverse
posted (March 2, 2020)

At the top of the news, we have you all the latest on the preliminary official discussions around the crash of the BDF's U1H1 Helicopter, which killed two pilots and two corporals who accompanied them.They were lending air support to an anti drug operation.

Well, support for the investigating is coming from the Honduran Navy, the US Southern Command, and the manufacturers of the helicopter's engine.

On Friday evening 25 members of the Honduran Naval Defence Rescue Team arrived in Belize by air caravan and they are the ones who recovered the wreckage from the western lagoon with the use of a Bell 412 Helicopter.

Admiral John Borland told us who's on the multi-pronged investigative team which he heads:

Admiral John Borland - Chief of Defense Staff
"The team consists of members of the coast guard with Captain Bennett as the lead investigator. Members of the BDF with Colonel the deputy commander of BDF as the assistant and then a team of expertise from the US MLO Office, the Mexican Navy and Army and air force, BATSUB commander, a member of the Ministry of National Security as well as a retired member of the BDF air wing, he was brought on board in the form of Major Lizama. He is a retired, not only commanding officer of the air wing but also a career pilot in the air wing. The team that is doing the air accident investigation under the leadership of the folks from our civil aviation department also commenced their work on Saturday along with the forensics and the ballistics folks. Tomorrow, they shall be joined by a team out of Fort Wort Texas from BEL Air service and as you know, BEL is the makers of the engines for these helicopters. So they are definitely the expertise that we need as they are qualified in air accident investigations. So that is how the investigations are shaping up. We're looking forward to give a preliminary report at least by Wednesday."

AS YOU HEARD, an initial report is expected to be produced within three days and a final report is expected in 14 days.

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