Windshield of BWIA aircraft cracks: jet lands safely Trinidad Express The outer windshield of a BWIA jet reportedly cracked on Thursday afternoon as it approached Norman Manley Airport in Kingston, Jamaica. The incident occurred aboard Flight BW 414 which left Piarco Airport at 7 a.m. and arrived in Jamaica at 1 p.m. There were no injuries to the crew or passengers. The cause of the incident is still not clear and comes in the midst of strained industrial relations between BWIA's management and its pilots. The Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association (TALPA) is currently in negotiations with management for pay increases and better working conditions for its operating crew. Reports reaching the Sunday Express are that the outer windshield pane cracked very suddenly which interfered with the air pressure inside the cockpit. However, the damage was not severe and the pilots were able to control the situation and land safely at Norman Manley Airport. A reliable source explained that as a safety measure most commercial jets have two windshield panes and separate windshields for each pilot. On landing in Jamaica it was discovered that the inner pane was also starting to crack and the plane was grounded. A windshield was acquired from another airline and the faulty windshield on the MD-80 aircraft was replaced. However, the repairs caused considerable delay in a flight scheduled for later that afternoon aboard the same aircraft. The aircraft left Norman Manley Airport for Barbados and Trinidad at 8 p.m. on Thursday, six hours later than scheduled. A previously-scheduled stop in Antigua had to be aborted because of the delay. The aircraft landed safely at Piarco Airport, Trinidad, that night. BWIA public relations consultant Clint Williams said he was unaware of any incident on that flight. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (TnT Medical Assn.) http://www.tntmedical.com/ (Trinidad & Tobago Medical Association) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************