Email

Print

Last night we had extended coverage of the press conference relating to the BDF Helicopter tragedy and the report on the crash from the Honduran Air Force.  The press event finished close to 5:00, and the report came out close to 6:00.  So, we didn’t have time to digest and drill down into the relevant details Jules Vasquez does so tonight:

The Report from the Honduras Air Force Accident Prevention and Investigation Board notes that, quote, “due to the high secrecy classification of the mission…it did not seem strange (to) air Wing personnel that the aircraft had not returned and they did not have any type of report by mission personnel. 

But, at its conclusion, the report suggests that whenever “missions of this type are carried out there is a person in charge of dispatching the aircraft and being aware of its return since if there had been survivors in this accident, they would have died because of the time it took to activate search and rescue operations.â€￾  It took more than 24 hours.

The last contact was at 4:33 AM:

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Minister of National Security
"At 4:18 am, Major Martinez messaged JIOC and said, we're here. Major Ramirez messaged Major Velez of JIOC at around 4:33 a.m. and then Major Velez responded at around 4:38 a.m. saying "Great help, bredrin,’ thanks." That last text that Major Velez sends to Major Ramirez that says, “Great help, Bredrin’, thanksâ€￾ only had one tick indicating that in normal circumstances Major Ramirez did not receive that WhatsApp message."

And much has been made of those Whatsapp messages. 

We have been in the area off the Coastal Highway where the drug plane landed more than once in the past weeks, and we can confirm that there are pockets of cell service with data right here near where the Gulfstream G2 narco jet landed, and also about two hundred feet from where the helicopter crashed in the Western Lagoon.  But, on the ground it’s very hit and miss, neither stable nor reliable.

Reporter
"Is WhatsApp the only, or the preferred medium used to communicate when you’re out on missions?"

Brig. Gen. Steven Ortega - BDF Commander
"At times, because that is what is available."

Reporter
"Data is very very very spotty in that area like the communication there is very dodgy to me. You know, it would raise some flags that you would rely on WhatsApp in an area where data usage is a challenge."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte
"It poses a major concern to me that we do not have the resources, enough resources to deal with these kinds of missions indeed, that is my personal opinion. “

Reporter
"If that now until four lives are lost you’re saying, oh you know this is a big concern that we don’t have this equipment so clearly to me, it’s like you sent these men out there unprepared, unequipped, sent them out to their death."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte
"No, we did not send them out to their death Major Ramirez had total discretion to refuse the mission if he believed that weather conditions were not favourable or WhatsApp messages could not easily be communicated.  At any time it is universally accepted within the military and especially when it comes to flights from the air wing that even if he needed to communicate but couldn’t communicate he could turn back and abort the mission, the discretion was totally his."

And according to this report, so was the error. The Hondurans concluded that the crew suffered a spatial disorientation during a turn, and plunged, blades first, into the five foot lagoon, resulting in a high energy impact that killed all four crew immediately. 

The report found that the weather was not favourable, but they concluded that environmental conditions were not a causal factor for the accident.

It was also not a mechanical failure according to investigators.  They conclude - based on the way the helicopter hit the water, and the data from the instruments that the engine was producing power when it hit the water, but it was on a steep descent angle as it made a right turn. Â 

The report concludes that the crew never had a chance: they were at low altitude, at night, flying over water in gusty winds, with no visual reference, they did not realise their disorientation and crashed into the lagoon.  It was a recipe for disaster, but one the senior officer chose, according to his commander:

Brig. Gen. Steven Ortega
"The mission that they got there believe they were capable of conducting such a mission and they left because they believed it was safe enough."

But, a soldier’s duty is something else altogether.  The report notes briefly what it calls the pressure of mission fulfilment:

Brig. Gen. Steven Ortega
"We do have that culture in the BDF in terms of mission accomplishment, however we have a saying that I picked up from my platoon commander battle course some years ago - anything affecting safety you will fail."

But, the question of whether they failed, or if the BDF failed them by not having night vision equipment and training on hand is one that will hang for some time

The report found that the helicopter plummeted towards the lagoon at one thousand feet per minute creating a high energy impact crash.  The entire report can be accessed online at the Ministry of National Security website.  We note that Major Ramirez was the Commander of the Airwing, while Major Baizar was his Deputy.