The last flight of Barry Bowen and the Casey family

Sir Barry Bowen

Sir Barry Bowen, the business tycoon who was tragically killed in a plane crash on Friday, will be interned this Tuesday at the San Ignacio cemetery, beside his parents who pre-decease him. He will be given an official funeral; he was named Senator in 1998 and conferred with knighthood in 2007.   Before his burial, a mass of thanksgiving for his life will be held at St John’s Cathedral in Belize City. Bowen is among the most notable Belizean businessmen who started small and grew an empire in the soft drink, beer, water, shrimp, tourism, sauces, agro and many other industries. Over the years, he contributed significantly to the social sector, particularly to the development of sports. It is estimated that his companies employ about a thousand Belizeans making him one of the biggest employers in the private sector. An experienced pilot, Bowen shuttled from his home in San Pedro to Belize City, the headquarters of his company, on a daily basis.  His untimely death has stunned and shocked the nation. News Five’s Jose Sanchez has a report on Friday evening’s plane crash that took his life.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

On Friday evening after taking off from Belize City, businessman Sir Barry Bowen and his passengers were heading to San Pedro to take part in a fundraiser for his private Island Academy School.  Bowen was accompanied by the principal of Gallon Jug School and his family.  Michael and Jillian Casey and their two children, two and a half year old Makayla and five month old Bryce, were also killed along with Bowen in the DFC area of San Pablo along the path to the airport.

Jose Sanchez

“When Bowen’s plane was going down. It hit the old barge behind me, and at the speed it was travelling, the wing broke off and you can see it on the ground.  The wheel is also strewn on the ground and the plane continued on its crashing path over to the other of the creek.”

Javier Valladerez , who lives near the boatyard, was sitting on his verandah at twenty past five.  He immediately recognized that the plane was in trouble.

Javier Valladerez

Javier Valladerez, Witnessed Plane Crash

“What I see the plane was coming too low. The plane try to go up and the wing knock that pipe and after it knocked the pipe it swung like a (whirring sound) and it make a big noise, POW! Then it touched over there.  The plane touched almost to the floor and it tried to go up again. But the wing knocked the pipe.”

Jose Sanchez

“When it knocked the pipe, that’s when the wing and everything dropped.”

Javier Valladerez

“The wing drop here. It come that the wing come with the plane and the wing drop yah and the plane continued in a spindle like this (buzzing sound).

According to Valladerez, the plane knocked all three pipes on the barge. One of the pipes was clearly bent by the plane upon impact.  Valladerez held up the winch and cable which were broken off by the plane. It was found near one of the cabin doors.  A vacationer from Nebraska and a neighbor in the DFC area immediately went to help.

Robert Steinhauser,  Assisted Victims of Plane Crash

Robert Steinhauser

“We could see the parts of the plane and the fuselage laying there. I stayed behind, tied up the boat, Cockle ran ahead. He grabbed the fire extinguisher, him and another gentleman; took the fire extinguisher and sprayed the engine. There was a gentleman laying in the water, then a baby laying in the water. Cockle ran to the gentleman and the gentleman was still alive, so Cockle rolled him over and held his head out the water. He hollered for some other gentleman to get something to lay the man on.  So they went and got a piece of plywood and brought it over. Three gentlemen helped Cockle get the man on the plywood and carry him out of the water, upon the shore and then another gentlemen went and carried the baby’s body.  You could see another gentleman still inside the  fuselage.”

In addition to Steinhauser and Valladerez, several employees of Captain Sharks Boat Yard went across the creek to assist the victims.

Daniel Vajarro, Captain Shark Boat Yard

“When I turn over I see the plane bounce to the ground then after dat I just run and tell my bally les go si if we can’t help somebody. Den we jump on di boss boat and go less dan a minute weh and den we reach deh and si one person inna di wata still alive.”

Kent ‘Bob’ Gabourel, Captain Shark

Carlton Flowers

Carlton Flowers, Captain Shark Boat Yard

Robert Steinhauser

“I did not go in the water.  I don’t do well with baby’s and death. I just absolutely couldn’t do it. In fact I saw that baby laying there and I hardly slept at all last night. I just… I’m sorry. It’s a tragedy but Cockle did say that that was the gentleman that was in the plane and he was pretty beat up and he said that there was a lady in the back seat hunched over with a child.”

Jose Sanchez

“Based on the position the woman was in, bent over, does it give you the impression that she was bracing for an impact?”

Carlton Flowers

Kent Gabourel

Carlton Flowers

Jose Sanchez

“To hit that barge, was it too low?”

Carlton Flowers

Jose Sanchez

“Do you know of planes coming in that low?”

Carlton Flowers

Kent Gabourel

Sir Barry Bowen

The coastguard brought in the five bodies to the morgue close to nine on Friday night. And early Saturday morning, members of the department of Civil Aviation were investigating the scene.  But there were also people who were combing the area with hands and a metal detector looking for something.

Jose Sanchez

“The police are out there with some equipment looking for something metallic all morning. Did they tell you what they are looking for?”

Javier Valladerez

Yes, I know what, it’s the keys for the safe box of Barry Bowen. He got the keys for Belize, San Pedro, and Gallon Jug and only he got the key; ih get lost. Dehn find di suitcase wid di money and di gun but dehn noh find di keys.”

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

In addition to the Department of Civil Aviation, the International Inspectors from Cessna Corporation, the manufacturers of the aircraft and Rolls Royce, the manufacturers of the engine are also assisting with the investigation though it is not known that mechanical failures led to his death.