“Stranded (Cayman) airline passengers take to the sea” – but there’s more to this story!

[KathyV]

Emergency, at least in FAA parlance, means that a plane is given special services like priority access to airspace or a runway, typically, but not always, at the specific declaration of "emergency" by the crew to handle an in-flight situation.

In your case, the crew used back-up systems to complete the flight and, since there were probably no other planes around, had no need to declare an emergency to get access to the runway immediately. No need to increase the paperwork further by invoking the "E" word.

Thanks for the explanation!

 

[AggieDiver]

View attachment 548430
This is the airstrip on Little. Brac's looks similar. Shot from the CA Otter.

That is not entirely accurate. Brac's airport has a runway that is twice as long and significantly wider than LC. The airport on Brac is indeed fairly small and simple, but they fly 737s from the runway there, while only the twin otters come and go from LC.

 

[KathyV]

That is not entirely accurate. Brac's airport has a runway that is twice as long and significantly wider than LC. The airport on Brac is indeed fairly small and simple, but they fly 737s from the runway there, while only the twin otters come and go from LC.

The Little Cayman airport is also unlighted so you can only fly there during the day, but CBM is lighted.

The pilot told us that he decided to return to Brac rather than attempt landing at LCM because CBM has a bigger airport and runway and more facilities. Also because it is easier to get parts and assistance over to Brac than to Little Cayman.

 

[flyboy08]

Good for RD....I’ll miss them though...I’m done with GC and the little kids.

 

[morecowbells]

We flew out of Cayman Brac on the first flight on the 26th. Initially Cayman Airways blamed the delay on 'maintenance issues', then changed over to 'weather delays'. We departed about an hour and a half late. Fortunately, we had a long layover in GC, so no issues with missing our flights. The airport workers were perplexed when we arrived in GC because we arrived on a "much larger aircraft" than what was on their manifesto. I was just glad to make my connection. Thanks goodness you are a seasoned traveler on the Cayman Islands and knew what steps to take and who to contact. I would have been freaking out!

 

[Jcp2]

My last flight on a Twin Otter was also a bit exciting. I was a child returning from Tuktoyaktuk with my family from my fathers business trip when I noticed one of the engines stopped and feathered somewhere over the tundra. Rather than continuing to Calgary, the pilots landed in Edmonton and we took a coach bus the rest of the way. The only public announcement was right before we landed, apologizing for the slight inconvenience. I think only my mother was freaked out as the rest of the passengers were regular roughneck drillers.

 

[KathyV]

My last flight on a Twin Otter was also a bit exciting. I was a child returning from Tuktoyaktuk with my family from my fathers business trip when I noticed one of the engines stopped and feathered somewhere over the tundra. Rather than continuing to Calgary, the pilots landed in Edmonton and we took a coach bus the rest of the way. The only public announcement was right before we landed, apologizing for the slight inconvenience. I think only my mother was freaked out as the rest of the passengers were regular roughneck drillers.

Yikes! But if you are looking for another exciting Otter flight, try traveling by air between St. Martin and Saba!

 

[KathyV]

We flew out of Cayman Brac on the first flight on the 26th. Initially Cayman Airways blamed the delay on 'maintenance issues', then changed over to 'weather delays'. We departed about an hour and a half late. Fortunately, we had a long layover in GC, so no issues with missing our flights. The airport workers were perplexed when we arrived in GC because we arrived on a "much larger aircraft" than what was on their manifesto. I was just glad to make my connection. Thanks goodness you are a seasoned traveler on the Cayman Islands and knew what steps to take and who to contact. I would have been freaking out!

We had already lost one day of our vacation and the thought of losing another day, sitting in an airport, was intolerable! Especially since we had come so near to our destination.

We've had better luck traveling to/from Brac than Little Cayman. I figure it is because it's a larger airport with bigger planes and more options - but we still don't take chances. We always carry our absolute essentials on the plane with us, like medications, C-cards, computers, passports, contact lenses, swimsuits, and a change of undies!

 

[tridacna]

We had already lost one day of our vacation and the thought of losing another day was intolerable!

We've had better luck traveling to/from Brac than Little Cayman. I figure it is because it's a larger airport with bigger planes and more options - but we still don't take chances. We always carry our absolute essentials on the plane with us, like medications, C-cards, contact lenses, swimsuits, and a change of undies!

C-Cards? Take a pic with your mobile device. No need to carry plastic any more

 

[KathyV]

C-Cards? Take a pic with your mobile device. No need to carry plastic any more

I'm the old-fashioned type, I even print boarding passes!