Threat to sue BWIA for crash-landing

BWIA has been threatened with a lawsuit arising out of the April 18 crash-landing at Piarco of its Dash-8 Tobago Express aircraft. BWIA was yesterday issued with an attorney’s letter on behalf of passenger Kailash Gosine of the United States. The passenger is seeking from BWIA, monetary compensation for trauma suffered when the plane crash-landed. Gosine’s attorney Stephen Boodram of the firm Dipnarine Rampersad and Company, sent a legal letter to BWIA West Indies Airways Ltd, Sunjet House, Edward Street, Port-of-Spain. Gosine is from 1620 Swan Lake Crescent, Chesapeake, Virginia, USA.

The letter stated that Gosine was jolted to the front of the aircraft where he suffered personal injuries, psychological trauma, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of a vacation in Tobago. Gosine visited Trinidad to spend a vacation with relatives in Princes Town. He left on the Tobago Express carrier for the sister isle for a vacation. The plane was forced to return to Trinidad before it landed, after the pilot encountered problems with the plane’s landing gear. The pilot was forced to crash-land the plane at the old Piarco airport.

The legal letter contended that it must be known that the landing gear was non-functional before the plane took off. The letter stated: “As a result, the pilot had to undertake a turbulent and violent manoeuvre to land the aircraft.” The letter, copied to BWIA, Golden Grove Road, Piarco, is contending that Gosine’s injuries were caused by the airline’s agents while the aircraft was transporting the client by air. The letter stated that the transportation of Gosine was being done on a “non-international carriage” under the treaty known as the Warsaw Convention. The letter requested BWIA to submit proposals for a settlement claim within the next 14 days. Failure, the letter ended, would result in a lawsuit for damages.