The accident that killed 12 people on December 31st in Guanacaste set off the alarms and put on the table the danger to those who travel on private tourist flights. James Hall, former head of the National Transportation Safety Board of the United States, recommended not using these services.
These private tourist flights don’t have the kind of supervision and regulation we have with commercial aviation in the United States. The average tourist cannot make a determination about the safety of these flights,”
said the specialist during an interview with Fox News.
But Hall was not the only one who spoke about it. Deborah Hersman, a former board member, believes it is difficult for tourists to know what kind of services they will use.
When we go to other countries, there is very little transparency in regards to the type of service we receive and it is really difficult for anyone in that country to do an investigation. The statement that ignorance is happiness does not apply here,”
said the woman.
According to the publication, the Nature Air flight was booked by a travel company called Backroads, based in California, but it is not the only one. The company Austin Adventures also uses the Costa Rican company for vacation packages, according to Fox’s report.
The experience of the pilots, the maintenance of the aircraft and the safety record of the company are other concerns raised by the expert, who also spoke of the importance of training for officials. The specialists also stated in the interview that it is necessary for the engines to be dismantled, inspected and replaced after 3,600 hours of operation, since the main faults are there.
The NTSB is an independent organization of the United States Government that investigates civil aviation, highway, marine, pipeline, and railway accidents in that country. Experts from that institution are supporting Costa Rican specialists now in determining the causes of the accident in Nayandure.