Brac airport resumes jet service

[KathyV]

I'd love to watch how the supply barge is picked over. I'm assuming much of the perishable foodstuffs come in refrigerated containers that are probably tagged for their final destination, no?

But there's always a need for "inspections"!

 

[KathyV]

Poor maintenance and a rusty bolt are and poor training are blamed for the firetruck crash that shut down Cayman Brac airport earlier this year.

http://cayman27.ky/2017/05/brac-fire-truck-crash-rusty-bolt-blamed/

 

[Drew Sailbum]

The article from the Cayman Compass elaborates a little. The rusty bolt that failed was part of an axle stop . The one bolt rusted away, transferring the load to the one remaining bolt. That was too much load for a single bolt and it sheared. The axle stop was then unable to stabilize the truck as it turned and the truck went up on the left side wheels before rolling over.

The accident investigator noted that the airport's location so close to the sea means trucks are exposed to salty air constantly. Unfortunately the same can be said of the airport fire station on Grand Cayman as well. Seems this is a costly lesson to show a more robust inspection and maintenance routine is required.

The Cayman Islands Fire Service purchased a new aerodrome fire truck as a result and sited it at the Cayman Brac station.

 

[Doctorfish]

In some ways I am relieved. Glad there was no alcohol, drugs or gross stupidity involved. This episode should result in better maintained equipment and better training for the crews.

 

[KathyV]

The article from the Cayman Compass elaborates a little. The rusty bolt that failed was part of an axle stop . The one bolt rusted away, transferring the load to the one remaining bolt. That was too much load for a single bolt and it sheared. The axle stop was then unable to stabilize the truck as it turned and the truck went up on the left side wheels before rolling over. The accident investigator noted that the airport's location so close to the sea means trucks are exposed to salty air constantly. Unfortunately the same can be said of the airport fire station on Grand Cayman as well. Seems this is a costly lesson to show a more robust inspection and maintenance routine is required. The Cayman Islands Fire Service purchased a new aerodrome fire truck as a result and sited it at the Cayman Brac station.

In some ways I am relieved. Glad there was no alcohol, drugs or gross stupidity involved. This episode should result in better maintained equipment and better training for the crews.

I would guess that all the Cayman fire departments, especially the fire stations at the airports, have probably improved their maintenance and inspection scheduled since the accident.

The original reports of the accident said that the 2 fireman were badly injured and hospitalized on Grand Cayman, has anyone heard if they are okay?

The Cayman government seems to be very sensitive and responsive to issues that negatively impact the tourism industry - and the fire truck accident on Brac shut down CB air traffic for a period (and Brac serves as a hub for some of Cayman Airways Caribbean routes) and it caused delays and luggage problems for some time even after they were back in limited operation. Hopefully they have learned an important lesson and the situation will be remedied.

 

[scubafanatic]

Shouldn't critical parts/components constantly exposed to hot/humid/salty conditions be made of Marine Grade Stainless Steel anyway ?