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Caribbean Airlines Flight 523

Coordinates: 06°29′54″N 058°15′14″W / 6.49833°N 58.25389°W / 6.49833; -58.25389
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Caribbean Airlines Flight 523
9Y-PBM, the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
Date30 July 2011 (2011-07-30)
SummaryRunway overrun on landing due to pilot error
SiteCheddi Jagan International Airport, Georgetown, Guyana
06°29′54″N 058°15′14″W / 6.49833°N 58.25389°W / 6.49833; -58.25389
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 737-8BK
OperatorCaribbean Airlines
IATA flight No.BW523
ICAO flight No.BWA523
Call signCARIBBEAN 523
Registration9Y-PBM
Flight originJohn F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, United States
StopoverPiarco International Airport, Port of Spain, Trinidad
DestinationCheddi Jagan International Airport, Georgetown, Guyana
Occupants163
Passengers157
Crew6
Fatalities0
Injuries7
Survivors163

Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 was a passenger flight that overran the runway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Georgetown, Guyana, on 30 July 2011. Out of the 163 occupants onboard, no one was killed, but seven people were injured. The aircraft involved, a Boeing 737-8BK, was operating Caribbean Airlines' scheduled international service from John F. Kennedy Airport, New York, to Georgetown, Guyana.

Background

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Aircraft

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The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-8BK, MSN 29635, registered as 9Y-PBM, that was built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 2007. It logged about 14861 airframe hours and was equipped with two CFM56-7B26/3 engines.[1][2]: 26 

Crew

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There were two pilots in the flight deck:

  • The captain of the flight was 52-year-old Fareed Dean.[3] He had been flying for the airline for 25 years, and had logged 9,600 hours of total flight time, of which 5,000 were on the Boeing 737-800. Prior to the accident flight, Dean had only slept for two-and-a-half hours due to an "all-day meeting," but he considered himself to have been well-rested.[2]: 24 
  • The first officer was 23-year-old Jason Naipaul.[3] He had been flying for the airline for three years, and had a total flight time of 1,400 hours, of which 350 hours were on the Boeing 737-800. This was the crew's first pairing together, but First Officer Naipaul knew of Captain Dean, "by reputation to be a good, honest person, who knew how to boost people's morale."[4][2]: 24 

Accident

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The aircraft failed to stop in rainy weather, overrunning the runway at 01:32 local time (05:32 UTC), crashing through the perimeter fence. The aircraft stopped 100 metres (330 ft) past the end of runway 06 after it went over a road and broke into two sections.[1][5][6]

There were 157 passengers and 6 crew on the aircraft.[7][8] There were no fatalities,[6] and serious injuries were two passengers suffering broken legs. The majority of the injured were treated at Diamond Diagnostic Hospital then sent onto Georgetown Public Hospital, where 35 passengers were treated for leg, back and neck injuries. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[9][10][11][12] The accident represents the ninth hull loss of a Boeing 737-800.[1]

Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar flew to Guyana to assess the situation, because the government of Trinidad and Tobago owns Caribbean Airlines.[13] Guyana's emergency response team appeared at the accident scene two hours after the incident. Further officials from the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA) and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were invited to Guyana to aid in investigations.[14][15] The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) will head the technical investigation, with assistance from the NTSB and the TTCAA.[16]

Investigation

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The Government Information Agency (GINA) Guyana reported the probable cause to be pilot error, stating: "The cause of the accident was the aircraft touching down far beyond the touchdown zone due to the captain maintaining excess power during the flare and not using the airplane's full deceleration capacity, resulting in the aircraft over running the pavement and fracturing the fuselage."[1][2]

Aftermath

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Captain Dean remained employed by Caribbean Airlines but was moved to the role of a first officer. First Officer Naipaul left Caribbean Airlines in 2012.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Ranter, Harro (August 2011). "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT, RUNWAY EXCURSION ON LANDING, CARIBBEAN AIRLINES, FLIGHT BW 523, BOEING 737-800, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO REGISTRATION 9Y-PBM, CHEDDI JAGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TIMEHRI GUYANA 062956.1490N 0581515.670 W, 30th July, 2011" (PDF). Guyana Civil Aviation Authority. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b La Rose, Miranda (3 August 2011). "Pilots trapped in cabin". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  4. ^ "Crash of a Boeing 737-8BK in Georgetown | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Caribbean B738 bei Landung zerbrochen" [Caribbean B738 breaks apart on landing]. Aero.de (in German). 30 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  6. ^ a b Niles, Russ (30 July 2011). "No Fatalities in Guyana Overrun". AVweb. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  7. ^ "No fatalities as Caribbean Boeing 737-800 crashes in Guyana". Flight Global. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Caribbean Airlines press release" (Press release). Georgetown, Guyana: Caribbean Airlines. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  9. ^ Hradecky, Simon (30 July 2011). "Accident: Caribbean B738 at Georgetown on Jul 30th 2011, overran runway". The Aviation Herald. Georgetown, Guyana. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  10. ^ Mohamed, Zulficar (30 July 2011). "Plane from New York crashes at Guyana airport". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  11. ^ Castillo, Mariano (30 July 2011). "Passengers safe after Guyana plane crash". CNN. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  12. ^ "Commercial Plane Crashes in Guyana; No Deaths". ABC News. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  13. ^ "No fatalities as Caribbean Airlines craft crashes in Guyana". Kaieteur News. 30 July 2011.
  14. ^ "News". Starcom Network. Bridgetown, St. Michael. 30 July 2011.
  15. ^ "CRASH UPDATE: US to assist in probing Caribbean Airlines crash". Caribbean360.com. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  16. ^ "CARIBBEAN AIRLINES FLIGHT #523 STATEMENT 3: ISSUED 30 JULY 2011 AT 17.00HOURS" (Press release). Caribbean Airlines. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  17. ^ "Pilot involved in 2011 crash still employed by Caribbean Airlines". INews Guyana. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
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