{"id":377770,"date":"2017-11-26T14:28:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-26T14:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=377770"},"modified":"2017-11-26T15:06:39","modified_gmt":"2017-11-26T15:06:39","slug":"public-safety-bureau-blames-transport-ministry-gcaa-for-starbow-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/11\/public-safety-bureau-blames-transport-ministry-gcaa-for-starbow-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Safety Bureau blames Transport Ministry, GCAA for Starbow crash"},"content":{"rendered":"
Following Saturday\u2019s crash involving a Starbow plane at the Kotoka International Airport, the Bureau of Public Safety has taken a swipe at the Ministry of Transport and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), saying the two bodies have over the years failed to institute an independent probe into similar incidents in the past.<\/p>\n
The crash, which resulted in five minor injuries, occurred after the aircraft skidded off the runway during its take-off run.<\/p>\n
Some other incidents involving Starbow airlines have been recorded in previous years.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In 2014, two people were injured after a Takoradi bound Starbow aircraft made an emergency landing.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
BPS in a statement sided with this position, saying the Transport Ministry and GCAA\u2019s have since 2012,\u00a0 refused to heed the Bureau’s \u201cgood advice to set up an independent investigation” into these incidents.<\/p>\n
\u201cStarbow Runway Overrun is bringing our country yet closer to witnessing a national disaster. The ICAO Safety Reports for 2015 and 2016 points in that direction for the Regional Aviation Safety Group – Africa and the Indian Ocean (RASG- AFI) comprising 48 countries including Ghana.”<\/p>\n
The BPS believes allowing \u201cGCAA to lead and continually investigate such incidents\u201d, without setting up an independent investigation body can only \u201csave jobs at the authority not lives of passengers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps, it\u2019s time for the BPS to explore what roles the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) and the Federal Aviation Administration ((FAA) can play in getting the State of Ghana to establish such a body as opposed to adhoc investigation committees whose findings and recommendations cannot be assured.”<\/p>\n
Starbow halts operations after crash at Kotoka<\/strong><\/p>\n