The Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) has said the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is partly responsible for the Starbow crash which occurred at the Kotoka International Airport some months ago.
The crash, which resulted in five minor injuries occurred after the aircraft skidded off the runway during its take-off run.
[contextly_sidebar id=”kX1ILagdkYkbybcNuwRT336u5Jcrx8gc”]The Bureau, in a statement, indicated that the incident could have been prevented if “an earlier airworthiness of directive regarding the seats of the pilots and co-pilot were implemented.”
It further pointed out that it found it extremely “worrying” that investigators, having established “evidence-based and unambiguous violation on the part of the GCAA still went ahead to fault only Starbow and the flight crew without any recommendations whatsoever for the regulator.”
“The BPS believes this action of the investigation team leaves air traffic and passenger safety in Ghana’s aviation industry in grave danger,” the statement said.
Aside the 2017 crash, some other incidents involving Starbow airlines have been recorded in previous years.
In 2015, passengers on board a Tamale-bound Starbow airline, had the scare of their lives when the aircraft, BAE with registration 9GSBB, crash landed in Tamale although no injuries were recorded.
In 2014, two people were injured after a Takoradi bound Starbow aircraft made an emergency landing.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and other stakeholders in the aviation sector, have often been criticized for not cracking the whip enough on these airline operators, hence putting the lives of passengers at risk.
Proffering stringent measures to reverse the trend, the BPS called on the Parliamentary Select Committees on Transport, Defense and Interior to scrutinize the accident investigation report and ensure that the GCAA is committed to some recommendations as has been done to the Operator (Starbow) and the flight crew to ensure safer air transportation in Ghana.
The BPS also called for the creation of an independent body to investigate such accidents. They want government “to expand the aviation industry so as to build confidence in the sector.”
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah