GCAA accused of not having mandate to investigate Starbow accident

Europa

October 8, 2015 8:46 AM

The United Nation's Organisation has on two occasions called on the GCAA to allow for only independent investigations into any accident at the airport.

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The International Civil Aviation Authority has warned the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, GCAA to stop investigating accidents at various airports in the country for fear of a cover up.

However, GCAA seem to have defied the directive, as it has currently dispatched its team of inspectors to investigate what caused a Starbow flight to to crash through a barricade of the Tamale runway tuesday.

This is in spite of the existence of a 5 member independent aircraft accident investigation committee that has been left redundant.

The Head of the committee, Captain Alex Grant has told Accra-based Citi Fm, that "unfortunately, an investigative body was elected to investigate all accidents and I was the chairman of the investigative committee and all the members were quite qualified. But for the last 2 or 3 accidents, we have not been called by the ministry of transport to investigate them. So the investigation is being done primarily by the GCAA themselves", he said.

"In the International Aviation Organisation in Canada, they came twice to tell civil aviation that they should not investigate any accident that happens at the airport. And so we were then formed. But they had somehow then taken it upon themselves again and they might have informed the minister to appoint them...so we have resigned ourselves to what they are doing", he added.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor says her ministry is yet to be briefed about Tuesday's incident at Tamale airport where a Star Bow aircraft over shot the runway.Speaking at the Meet the Press series in Accra, the Sector Minister said she will not comment on the issue until she is briefed.

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