Pilot uninjured after plane crash
The flight originated in Vera Cruz, Mexico and was headed to La Ceiba, Honduras with a refuelling stop in Belize. But that stop turned to disaster Monday evening when just before five the pilot radioed the control tower at the P.G.I.A. that he was going down. This afternoon I visited the scene of the accident and found that things could have been a lot worse.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
This evening a helicopter from the British Army Training Support Unit of Belize circled the crash site to get a good look at the wreck. The Cessna 172 piloted by Captain Jose Maradiaga apparently experienced engine problems and crash-landed about sixteen miles away form the Philip Goldson International Airport.
Everal Belisle, Eyewitness
“I hear boom, boom, so I say well that man must get hurt or the person in there must get hurt. So the reason why I went back there is because I know sometimes you have small passenger planes and you just can’t be so mean and not help, so that’s the reason why I went back there.”
The small single engine aircraft went down in an open field located on the outskirts of Willows Bank in the Belize District. Everal Belisle, who witnessed the accident, was the first person at the crash site…much to the relief of a frightened pilot.
Everal Belisle
“When the plane was going down I take that plane for a Jabiru because it looked so funny coming front on. Afterwards I see it square on the side and then it went over that way on the left hand side and I saw it went down and told my neighbour “that man must get hurt, so I say I have to go and render assistance if I could.”
“I thought that this plane was catching on fire. But when I say him sitting down on the plane with his head hang down, so I said “hello” and he looked round and said, “I need help.” So he asked me if I could tell him the location he’s at, so I told him he was in Willow’s Bank boundaries right now. He said to me, “I was heading to the airport.”
Belisle says as he guided the shaken pilot from the crash site they saw a B.D.F. plane coming in their direction.
Everal Belisle
“It was the B.D.F., it was coming to see. It was pretty late because it done getting dark. He tek his jacket and he began to wave and the guy in the plane saw it and begin to make some circles. It mek about four circles and after he make the circles he went back that way.”
The pilot was later picked up by a BATSUB helicopter. Belisle says he was only too grateful to give whatever assistance he could but for the pilot Belisle was something more than just a Good Samaritan.
Everal Belisle
“I could see he was so happy, because he told me that I am his angel.” (laughs)
The plane appears to have only suffered minor damage to the wing tips. It is not certain what efforts will be made to remove the aircraft from the site.
There were no passengers aboard the Cessna and the pilot was not injured.
