The first time I ever went up in a seaplane was at Chalk's. My mother, obsessed with seaplanes, took me and my sister. It was an incredible experience.
Chalk's has a fascinating history but more impressive is their safety record. Chalk's has never had passenger fatalities since it opened in 1919. Prior to this afternoon, there had only been one crash during it's history, in 1994. Only the two pilots were aboard and both were killed. Once, in 1974, a plane was hijacked and taken to Cuba, since then the planes never carry enough fuel to make it there.
Witnesses agree that there was an explosion and then two pieces tumbled from the sky into the water. Some say it appears there was an explosion that separated the wing from the rest of the aircraft. This occurred shortly after takeoff from Miami headed to Bimini in the Bahamas. Granted, takeoff and landing are the most dangerous parts of air travel but wings don't spontaneously combust and separate from a plane. As Chalk's is a small, closely held company, that services mainly tourists, I wonder about their security measures. Most private airports and aviation companies operate under minimal security.
There were 20 people aboard, 2 pilots and eighteen passengers. Of the eighteen, three were infants. All bodies have been retrieved from the water except for one.
The plane that went down was an enhanced Grumman G-37 Mallard built in 1947. Only 59 were built between 1946-1951. Chalks had their ships converted from piston-engine to turbo-prop, avionics upgraded and main cabin seating increased to 17. Fuel can be carried in the wingtip tanks.
A team of aircraft safety investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have already begun their inquiry. A salvage team will begin to raise the secured plane from the water tomorrow morning. They will review operating and maintenance records, hopefully retrieve the cockpit voice recorder and send it to Washington for processing. Soon we should know more.
Although the FBI has already stated that there is no evidence of foul play.
1 comment:
Thanks for visiting my blog. I noticed that you live in Washington D.C. It was the first city that I ever visited in the United States. I used to spend hours wandering around the museums and art galleries in the National Mall, marvelling at all there was to see.
I thought D.C. was an incredible city. I have seen many American cities since; and I still haven't changed my opinion.
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