THE American Airlines crash at the Norman Manley International Airport in December last year caused the release of fuel and other hydrocarbons into the environment, but the full impact is as yet unclear.

“The impact of that release is being investigated, but it is expected that due to the sandy nature of the area the contaminated material on the site will be reclaimed and treated offsite,” said the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), in a written response to Environment Watch queries. “New material will be used to repair the excavated areas and at the end of the process the dunes will be restored, inclusive of the vegetative cover. Tests are still being done to determine if there are any other contaminants that may pose any risk to the environment.”

The crash occurred after the flight, which began at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and stopped in Miami, overshot the runway during heavy rain. The force of the landing carried the aeroplane through the perimeter fence and on to the beach across the Port Royal road. There it came to a stop within metres of the capital’s outer harbour and the open Caribbean Sea.

NEPA responded immediately to the crash, focusing initially on life-saving and fire prevention.

“The secondary response was related to continued air safety and so the black box, etc had to be removed and safety restored,” said NEPA. “The superstructure of the aircraft then had to be removed to facilitate the safe operation of the airport. Following this, the agency was able to do a more in-depth assessment of what impact the crash would have on the environment.

“Based on discussions with the agency, American Airlines has hired a consultancy to undertake all of the preliminary works inclusive of the identification of the utility of the infrastructure that could be damaged by works at the crash site. Resources mobilised included an area to receive the contaminated material, the mechanisms to transport it, sampling and testing equipment, site containment mechanisms and signage, etc,” NEPA added.

The cost of the clean-up was not immediately available but the agency said that “American Airlines committed to paying the full cost of the clean-up and remediation works”.

It is unclear when the remedial works, which began within a week of the December 22 crash, will be completed.

“Airline crashes are not regular occurrences and the only way to limit these impacts is through improved safety/operating procedures for both the airline and the airport to minimise the recurrence of such an event,” NEPA noted.

As for advice to the local authorities, the agency said “recommendations will have to await the completion of the clean-up”.

NEPA also said that it does not expect any lasting environmental impacts as a consequence of all the contaminated material being removed and treated.

— Petre Williams-Raynor

AA crash day cap:

A group of soldiers do inspections at the crash site of the American Airlines aircraft in Kingston.

Plane remove:

The tail end of the American Airlines aircraft is removed from the crash site.