AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers

Print Thread

Page 7 of 7

Re: Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers Marty #369112 03/01/10 08:31 AM
Joined: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,000 SW, MA / SW, FL R ragman
ragman R	In today's Boston's papers. Pictures of all family members included. RIP Former Marion woman and family killed in Belize plane crash By Curt Brown / The Standard-Times \| Monday, March 1, 2010 \| http://www.bostonherald.com \| Local Coverage A former Marion resident and her husband, who had been running a school for the children of agricultural workers in Belize, died Friday along with their two young children when their small private plane crashed while landing on the island of San Pedro. Killed in the crash with Jillian Bliss (Schuessler) Casey, a graduate of Bishop Stang High School in Dartmouth, and Michael P. Casey, both 32, were their children, Makayla, 3, and Bryce, 7 months; as well as the pilot, former Belize senator and bottling magnate, Sir Barry Bowen, 64. The crash occurred at about 5:30 p.m. as the single-engine plane was approaching the airstrip at the San Pedro Municipal Airport in Belize, according to a family friend, Nelson Pratt of Lakeville. The plane was experiencing mechanical problems, according to a report in today's Standard-Times . The group was headed to a fundraising event Bowen was hosting in San Pedro. Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1236317 Jim Formerly from somewhere on a beach in Belize

Re: Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers ragman #369213 03/02/10 08:03 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,404 oregon, spr Marty
Marty	Couple, children are killed in Belize Wife had links to Marion, school in Dartmouth By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff \| March 2, 2010 A former Marion resident was killed Friday along with her husband and two young children when the small Cessna plane they were in crashed short of a landing strip in Belize, where for nine years the couple had run a school for children of agricultural workers. The accident garnered widespread attention in the small Central American country that shares a border with Mexico because it also killed the pilot, Barry Bowen, the second-wealthiest citizen in Belize. Bowen owned bottling plants for Guinness and Coca-Cola as well as a 130,000-acre private nature reserve where the school is located. He also owned the school. Bowen was reportedly flying to a fund-raiser on the island of Ambergris Caye with Jillian and Michael Casey and the Caseys' 3-year-old daughter, Makayla, and 7-month-old son, Bryce. Bowen's private plane experienced some sort of mechanical malfunction, according to television reports from Belize on the preliminary investigation. The island is about 35 miles northeast of Belize City, the country's most populated city. Jillian (Schuessler) Casey graduated from Bishop Stang High School in Dartmouth in 1995. Jackie McCarthy, who has taught at that school for 36 years, remembered Casey as an active student, involved in tennis, basketball, field hockey, and the student council. "She was beautiful on the inside and out, and she had a lot of poise and grace,'' McCarthy said. "She never looked for any accolades and something that really sums her up is her quote in the high school yearbook, 'If you don't understand my silence, you will never understand my words.' '' Casey met her husband while both attended Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vt. McCarthy said they both believed in humanitarian service. "That's what got them to Belize, that drive to give back, to work for the less fortunate,'' she said. Michael Casey, a native of Albany, N.Y., was principal of Gallon Jug Community School, where his wife taught third and fourth grades. The kindergarten through Grade 8 school has 75 students. The couple married in January 2006 at a garden ceremony on a hillside near the school. Michael Casey's letter of introduction at the school, posted on its website, states: "We came to Belize for an opportunity to teach outside our country of the United States. We also came here to meet other ethnic groups and to see the rainforest of Belize.'' The Caseys' family members could not be reached for comment. Boston Globe ================= Private plane crash kills an Albany native and his family ALBANY, N.Y.-- The victims of a small plane crash on the island of San Pedro are identified as a family from Albany. "These are just two wonderful, wonderful, happy people," says Kelly Tynan, Michael Casey's sister. "They love life." The plane crash that killed Kelly Tynan's brother Michael on Friday, also took the lives of his wife Jill, and their two young children. Casey and his wife moved to Belize nine years ago, for an opportunity to teach outside the United States. In describing his mission, Caseywrote on his website, "I soon found that teaching children about the earth and all that it has to offer is the best way to move forward. This is why the Global Coalition is a great learning tool for all of us." Casey and his family were traveling to San Pedro for the weekend before the crash happened. Tynan describes her brother as one who always had a plan. "We had just received an acceptance letter from the University at Albany, the day he passed away on the 26th, recognizing his admission to their masters program," says Tynan. "When it came to setting goals, he just did it," adds Casey's brother Shawn. "It's inspirational, it really is." For now, family members say they are focusing on continuing the work Casey and his wife were doing in Belize, before their lives were cut too short. "There's not enough words to say what my brother has done," says Tynan. "He's just a great brother." The pilot of the plane, Sir Barry Bowen, had 40 years of experience, and is described as a prominent businessman in Belize. Bowen owned the Gallon Jug Community School, where both Michael and Jill Casey were teachers. Family members says mechanical problems led to the plane's crash. WTEN Albany

Re: Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers Marty #369215 03/02/10 08:07 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,404 oregon, spr Marty
Marty	MORE DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT BOWEN PLANE CRASH March 01, 2010 The business tycoon and a former senator, Sir Barry Bowen was piloting his modified Cessna 206 plane to San Pedro town around five thirty on Friday evening when the aircraft went down just short of the island's municipal airstrip. The cause of the crash is now the subject of a multi-agency investigation; but eyewitnesses tell Love News that they saw the plane hit something, perhaps a pole, before landing in a marshy area on the backside of the island. The loud bang was heard by many residents in the area who rushed to the scene. One of them is an employee of the nearby Captain Shark's Boat Yard who did not wish to appear on camera. Eyewitness "Yesterday at five twenty I was right here and I heard a loud bang. When I came out I saw my friend running from the back and I asked him what happened and he told me that I plane just crashed. We immediately jumped on the boat; it was not even a minute away. We saw a white plane and as we were approaching the scene we saw the body of a man, a Caucasian, about twenty to thirty feet from the plane. When we approached him he was still gasping for air. He was pretty beaten up, he was in bad shape. This guy said he was a tour guide operator and he said that he knew first aid so he ran and he took the guy and took his head out of the water. Two of my friends went to help him take the guy out of the water. When I went closer to the plane and I saw a baby about ten feet away from the plane. One of my friends went close to check if the baby was alive but the baby was dead already; it had a big gash on its forehead. There was a lady that was stuck in the plane but she was motionless. They were calling for her but she did not respond so we walk to the other side of the plane to see if there were any more survivors and that is where we saw the pilot. We did not know who it was but we knew that it was Mr. Bowen's plane because every evening we saw that same plane fly over around the same time every evening. We saw that it was Mr. Bowen. The plane door was open so we saw that half of his body was outside the plane." The eyewitness says that he and a co-worker were among the first to arrive at the crash site, followed by the police. Accompanying Sir Bowen in the plane were Michael and Jillian Casey and their children, two and a half year old Makayla Casey and five month old Bryce. The Caseys were both teachers at the Gallon Jug Community School in Orange Walk where they had been teaching for nine years. They were reportedly on their way to a fund raising event which was to be hosted in front of Island Academy, an elementary school financed by Sir Barry. The elementary school is one of the many investments Sir Barry made on the Island. According to some influential San Pedranos he was more than just a Patron. Elsa Paz; Mayor, San Pedro Town "It is not only the Bowen Family that has lost a big man like Barry but San Pedro too. Barry was a very humble man. When I say a big man, not only because he was a millionaire, but he had a big heart. His heart was also in San Pedro. He was one of the biggest supporters; I can say the biggest supporter in our community. He was there for San Pedro through good and hard times. Because of Barry Bowen we have the Boca Del Rio Bridge; he was also one of the first ones to be part of the cobblestone project any many other things like fire works for different events. He did a lot for San Pedro. He is somebody that San Pedro will always remember. Barry will be in everybody's hearts here on the island." Manuel Heredia Jr.; Area Representative, Belize Rural South and Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation "I think it was a big blow to the island of San Pedro and the country of Belize. I remember Barry as a very happy man. I recall meeting him several times at the sea. He was a happy man. He enjoyed his life and he lived his life in a good way I think. He was always humble in a way walking just like me without shoes many times and that is why I think we will always remember him. I would just like to ask the family to be strong and I want to let them know that I am behind them one hundred percent in their sorrow and I will pray continue to pray for his soul." Sir Barry was one of the wealthiest men in Belize. His investments extend beyond Bowen and Bowen, Limited. He also owns a large shrimp farm in southern Belize called Belize Aquaculture Limited, Belize Estate Company, the Ford dealership in Belize City, and Gallon Jug Estate which includes Chan Chich Lodge and Gallon Jug Agro-Industries. Sir Barry Bowen was sixty four years old. LOVE FM

Re: Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers Marty #369222 03/02/10 08:20 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,404 oregon, spr Marty
Marty	Sir Barry Bowen: The Tragic Crash It was breaking and shocking news on Friday night– the sudden and tragic death of 64 year old Belizean multi-millionaire businessman Barry Bowen and four other persons in a plane crash in San Pedro. The two other adults and two children – the youngest a newborn – were killed on impact. Bowen was the pilot and they were all flying into San Pedro for a fundraiser at Bowen’s Island Academy. But half mile before landing, tragedy struck. We’ll have full coverage tonight including reaction to the tragedy from the former and current Prime Minister and San Pedro Mayor Elsa Paz will tell us why her island is in mourning. But our coverage begins with the crash. We’ve been on the story since Friday and our team was on the ground in San Pedro on Saturday. Keith Swift has that story. *Keith Swift Reporting,* Barry Bowen’s Cessna 206 airplane crashed into the swamps in this remote area of the DFC Subdivision in San Pedro, an estimated half mile south of the municipal airstrip. On the ground, this captured on a cell phone camera in the moments immediately after Friday’s crash shows the wrecked single engine plane on its back, with a wing detached, and victims trapped inside. His wife Dixie was on the scene as well as hundreds of other San Pedro residents. Witnesses say that Barry Bowen was flying low. He was probably already descending in preparation for landing when he hit something. Some say it was the top of a barge, others say it was a house. Whatever it was – it caused Bowen to lose control of his Cessna 206 which flipped and landed in the swamp behind me. Dave Sherwood, Witnessed Crash “I will never forget the sound that that we heard when the plane passed overhead and we lost sight of it.” Dave Sherwood and Kai Benson were in the area filming a documentary at the time of the crash. Dave Sherwood, “We had been watching planes coming in and out of the area all afternoon and out of the corner of our eyes we were interviewing a woman on her porch. We watched as the plane came in across the house to the left and we never saw it come out the other side and we heard a sound and we asked the woman that we were interviewing what the sound the was, not thinking about the airplane because we had seen so many go by, and she said it was just a truck coming by on the road that might have hit a pothole, and a few minutes later we heard some screaming and we saw some people running.” Bob Gabourel works at the Captain Shark’s Boat Yard across the lagoon. Bob Gabourel, Witness “All I heard was a bang about 5:25 to 5:30 and so I asked my friend what happened and he told me a plane just crashed on the other side of the lagoon and so we all went and we jumped in the boat which was parked right there and we drove over.” Gabourel took his cell phone with him and captured these images of the terrible and desperate scene. Bob Gabourel, “I saw a male Caucasian lying in less than a foot of water. So my friend first approached him and a guy said he was a tour guide and he knew CPR and whatever. He went and took the guy’s head and elevated it out of the water and then therefore they backed him out of the water and took him more on the land.” Kai Benson, Witness “One man was lying off to the side and there were a few people still stuck inside. We went around and checked if anyone was still moving or breathing but it was a real bad wreck.” Bob Gabourel, “There was a baby in front of the plane lying with its face up but he was dead because w approached him and he had a big gash on his forehead so another guy came and picked him up and put him beside the guy that they picked up earlier because he wasn’t dead when we got there. He was still trying to gasp for little air but he was badly broken up.” The footage from the San Pedro Sun shows a desperate attempt to retrieve – at least one passenger who was still stuck in the wrecked aircraft. Bob Gabourel, “I saw what appeared to be like a female stuck in the plane and there was smoke coming from the plane also so we didn’t want to go close because somebody hollered that the plane could blow up. So I went around and I saw another male person lying outside and I recognized it was Mr. Bowen.” Barry Bowen was dead and so too were his passengers: 32 year old Mike Casey, his wife Jill Casey, and their 2 and a half year old daughter Makayla and their five month old son Bryce – all from Albany, New York. Mike was a teacher at Bowen’s school in Gallon Jug. Kai Benson, “A bit of a desperate scene, I kind of wish there was a little more help around or someone else to come around and do something really.” Bob Gabourel, “It is something that I never seen in my life before. I’ve seen traffic accidents with vehicles but this plane crash, nothing can compare to it, up close like that.” But at least as of now, no one knows went wrong. Witnesses say they did not hear any noise prior to the crash although they recall seeing… Bob Gabourel, “The plane stumbles over the lagoon and fell on the other side and bounced and made several turns.” Bowen had been flying for more than 40 years. His Cessna 206, famous for its Rolls Royce engine, crash landed at the municipal airport in Belize City in 2004. The pilot was then his son and no one was seriously hurt. Bowen himself flew daily to Belize City and back on the route. Bowen’s close friend and fellow pilot is Mike Cune – the Director of Operations at Tropic Air. Mike Cune, Director of Operations – Tropic Air “Very experienced, I’d say he has been flying close to 40 years. He flies everyday. He is a very skilled pilot, yes.” *Keith Swift,* “What do you think could have gone wrong?” Mike Cune, “I have no idea. There is only person that knows and he is not going to tell us.” Those are questions it will be left to the Civil Aviation Department to answer or at least attempt to answer. A family source says that the plane which ran off the runway at the municipal airstrip in 2004 was not the plane which crashed on Friday. But nothing is official because the Department of Civil Aviation says it will discuss the circumstances surrounding the crash at a press conference tentatively scheduled for Wednesday. As mentioned in the story, Jill and Mike Casey are from Albany New York. They got married in Gallon Jug four years ago and were both teachers at the Gallon Jug Community School which was another of Bowen’s ventures in a vast business empire. Their bodies will be flown to the states for burial. The school in Gallon Jug will be renamed in their honour. A memorial service for Sir Barry Bowen was held this afternoon on the campus of the Island Academy in San Pedro. The funeral service will be held tomorrow morning at 10:00 at Saint John’s Cathedral in Belize City. It will be preceded by a procession through the streets of Belize City. It leaves from the morgue at 9:00 a.m. down St. Thomas Street, into Freetown Road, unto Mapp Street, into North Front Street over the Swing Bridge and on to Albert Street. It will be an official funeral for this a former senator and one of only three knights in Belize with the KCMG classification, a distinction he shared with Lord Michael Ashcroft and Sir Manuel Esquivel. After the funeral, around noon, the procession – motorcade will leave St. John’s Cathedral, go into Water Lane, into Vernon Street, into Central American Boulevard and exit Belize City towards San Ignacio where he will be interred at the town cemetery. Channel 7

Re: Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers Marty #369234 03/02/10 09:17 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,404 oregon, spr Marty
Marty	The last flight of Barry Bowen and the Casey family Sir Barry Bowen Sir Barry Bowen, the business tycoon who was tragically killed in a plane crash on Friday, will be interned this Tuesday at the San Ignacio cemetery, beside his parents who pre-decease him. He will be given an official funeral; he was named Senator in 1998 and conferred with knighthood in 2007. Before his burial, a mass of thanksgiving for his life will be held at St John's Cathedral in Belize City. Bowen is among the most notable Belizean businessmen who started small and grew an empire in the soft drink, beer, water, shrimp, tourism, sauces, agro and many other industries. Over the years, he contributed significantly to the social sector, particularly to the development of sports. It is estimated that his companies employ about a thousand Belizeans making him one of the biggest employers in the private sector. An experienced pilot, Bowen shuttled from his home in San Pedro to Belize City, the headquarters of his company, on a daily basis. His untimely death has stunned and shocked the nation. News Five's Jose Sanchez has a report on Friday evening's plane crash that took his life. Jose Sanchez, Reporting On Friday evening after taking off from Belize City, businessman Sir Barry Bowen and his passengers were heading to San Pedro to take part in a fundraiser for his private Island Academy School. Bowen was accompanied by the principal of Gallon Jug School and his family. Michael and Jillian Casey and their two children, two and a half year old Makayla and five month old Bryce, were also killed along with Bowen in the DFC area of San Pablo along the path to the airport. Jose Sanchez "When Bowen's plane was going down. It hit the old barge behind me, and at the speed it was travelling, the wing broke off and you can see it on the ground. The wheel is also strewn on the ground and the plane continued on its crashing path over to the other of the creek." Javier Valladerez , who lives near the boatyard, was sitting on his verandah at twenty past five. He immediately recognized that the plane was in trouble. Javier Valladerez Javier Valladerez, Witnessed Plane Crash "What I see the plane was coming too low. The plane try to go up and the wing knock that pipe and after it knocked the pipe it swung like a (whirring sound) and it make a big noise, POW! Then it touched over there. The plane touched almost to the floor and it tried to go up again. But the wing knocked the pipe." Jose Sanchez "When it knocked the pipe, that's when the wing and everything dropped." Javier Valladerez "The wing drop here. It come that the wing come with the plane and the wing drop yah and the plane continued in a spindle like this (buzzing sound). According to Valladerez, the plane knocked all three pipes on the barge. One of the pipes was clearly bent by the plane upon impact. Valladerez held up the winch and cable which were broken off by the plane. It was found near one of the cabin doors. A vacationer from Nebraska and a neighbor in the DFC area immediately went to help. Robert Steinhauser, Assisted Victims of Plane Crash Robert Steinhauser "We could see the parts of the plane and the fuselage laying there. I stayed behind, tied up the boat, Cockle ran ahead. He grabbed the fire extinguisher, him and another gentleman; took the fire extinguisher and sprayed the engine. There was a gentleman laying in the water, then a baby laying in the water. Cockle ran to the gentleman and the gentleman was still alive, so Cockle rolled him over and held his head out the water. He hollered for some other gentleman to get something to lay the man on. So they went and got a piece of plywood and brought it over. Three gentlemen helped Cockle get the man on the plywood and carry him out of the water, upon the shore and then another gentlemen went and carried the baby's body. You could see another gentleman still inside the fuselage." In addition to Steinhauser and Valladerez, several employees of Captain Sharks Boat Yard went across the creek to assist the victims. Daniel Vajarro, Captain Shark Boat Yard "When I turn over I see the plane bounce to the ground then after dat I just run and tell my bally les go si if we can't help somebody. Den we jump on di boss boat and go less dan a minute weh and den we reach deh and si one person inna di wata still alive." Carlton Flowers, Captain Shark Boat Yard "We saw the baby, it looked like a little doll. Di guy tell we to check di baby. It was really sad for the baby. Ih really sad." Kent Gabourel Kent 'Bob' Gabourel, Captain Shark "For the entire family and it was a first to see, something we've never seen in our life up close. For the rest of our lives we'll never forget. It's hard to get over what we see. For a well known man like Mister Bowen, it's a shock for the whole country of Belize." Robert Steinhauser "I did not go in the water. I don't do well with baby's and death. I just absolutely couldn't do it. In fact I saw that baby laying there and I hardly slept at all last night. I just� I'm sorry. It's a tragedy but Cockle did say that that was the gentleman that was in the plane and he was pretty beat up and he said that there was a lady in the back seat hunched over with a child." Jose Sanchez "Based on the position the woman was in, bent over, does it give you the impression that she was bracing for an impact?" Kent Gabourel "Yes." Carlton Flowers "Or trying to get to the back of the plane." Kent Gabourel "She was running to the back or something. Her headpiece was going to the back like she was trying to get to the back but she didn't make it." Jose Sanchez "To hit that barge, was it too low?" Kent Gabourel "He had to be coming too low, the pole that was coming from the barge I would say it was about, probably about fifty feet from off the ground, he had to be coming pretty low and pretty fast." Jose Sanchez "Do you know of planes coming in that low?" Kent Gabourel "No, no, no; never, they always at the right altitude." Carlton Flowers "Every day we know when it's twenty past five because that same plane, Mister Bowen, that's when we know it's like twenty past five because we see him every evening come by; every evening and he was always at a high altitude and he was always more out." Sir Barry Bowen The coastguard brought in the five bodies to the morgue close to nine on Friday night. And early Saturday morning, members of the department of Civil Aviation were investigating the scene. But there were also people who were combing the area with hands and a metal detector looking for something. Jose Sanchez "The police are out there with some equipment looking for something metallic all morning. Did they tell you what they are looking for?" Javier Valladerez Yes, I know what, it's the keys for the safe box of Barry Bowen. He got the keys for Belize, San Pedro, and Gallon Jug and only he got the key; ih get lost. Dehn find di suitcase wid di money and di gun but dehn noh find di keys." Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez. In addition to the Department of Civil Aviation, the International Inspectors from Cessna Corporation, the manufacturers of the aircraft and Rolls Royce, the manufacturers of the engine are also assisting with the investigation though it is not known that mechanical failures led to his death. News 5

Re: Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers Marty #369236 03/02/10 09:19 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,404 oregon, spr Marty
Marty	Casey family perishes in plane crash Casey Family Turning now to the family that also died in the plane crash on Friday; they are: thirty-two year old Michael Casey, his wife Jillian and their two young children, two year old Makayla and five month old Bryce. Mike and Jillian were employed by Bowen and ran the school in Gallon Jug, a private community, developed by Bowen. Marion Ali has more on the family in the following report. Marion Ali, Reporting Strong air turbulence this morning over the Gallon Jug community did not allow us to get vivid video shots of the private school where Michael and Jillian Casey taught. Classes for the over seventy students have been cancelled as the community mourns the death of the entire family that perished in last Friday evening's plane crash in San Pedro Town. The couple moved to Belize a few years ago and both taught at the community's private school. Michael was the principal and taught standards five and six and Jillian taught standards one and two. In an interview with a television station in Vermont, USA, Michael Casey's mother, Penny Casey spoke of the fund-raising efforts her son and daughter in law were involved in for the school. Penny Casey, Michael Casey's mother "The school - they had just built a playground, they got computers in there. When we first went there we used to have to call a number and then say meet me at this number-that was nine years ago-now we can call his house. Their hearts were just so big, they had so much to give. It's gonna be spread through Gallon Jug cause the love was just there." The family was accompanying Sir Barry Bowen to a fundraising in San Pedro, when their plane crashed in a swampy area half a mile from the airstrip last Friday evening. Their bodies will be taken to the United States for burial and a memorial service will take place at the Gallon Jug School on Wednesday. Marion Ali for News Five. The couple lived in Belize for the past nine years and were married in Gallon Jug in January of 2006. Michael & Jillian Casey Makayla & Bryce Casey News 5

Re: Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers Marty #369467 03/04/10 09:27 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,404 oregon, spr Marty
Marty	CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITIES UPDATE MEDIA ON BOWEN PLANE CRASH We received the tragic news on Friday evening that 64 year old Businessman Barry Bowen and four other persons were killed in a plane crash on the island of San Pedro. Bowen who was the pilot of the plane was flying into San Pedro for a Fundraiser at Bowen's Island Academy but half mile before landing, his Cessna 206 airplane crashed into the swamps in a remote area estimated half mile south of the municipal airstrip. Today the Belize Department of Civil Aviation held a press conference to inform the media on the latest developments regarding the tragic aircraft accident. Department of Civil Aviation Official "We believe the aircraft was in a lower altitude than it than it should have been. We have seen the evidence that he attempted to recover and it was at this time that we believe he hit the mass. The aircraft was severely compromised; we observed also the fact that Sir Barry's aircraft had signs of part disintegrating prematurely. We have a team out there as we speak; the engine specialists and the manufacture specialist examining the crash scene and any further developments we will convey to you." Nothing has been ruled out as to why Sir Barry Bowen plane went down on Friday evening. Department of Civil Aviation Official "We mentioned that with the probably cause we are looking at is that he lost control of the aircraft and there are other contributing factors. The contributing factors are still under investigation. Because of the sensitivity of this case we have to do a proper investigation and that is why we have the specialists here to assist us if there is something that we might not know." According to the investigation so far, there was nothing unusual that day in the transmission between the pilot Sir Barry Bowen and the controller. Department of Civil Aviation Official "There was nothing unusual between the pilot and the controller because he called the control as soon as he was airborne en route to San Pedro. There was two way communication all the way until the controller switched him to the common broadcasting frequency when he was 13 miles out of San Pedro. Everything was normal; there was no unusual transmission. At no time did the pilot make any kind of emergency calls so it was a normal flight as far as we can see until it happened." According to the Department of Civil Aviation, because of the intricacies involved in the investigation it is expected to last no less than 12 months. Reporting for Love News I am Monica Bodden.

Re: Please keep the Bowen family in your prayers

Marty #369589 03/04/10 08:22 PM

Joined: Oct 1999

Posts: 84,404

oregon, spr

Marty

Marty

Plane crash claims five lives

Authorities arrive at the scene of the accident.

Sir Barry Bowen.

The Casey family: Michael, Jill and children Makayla and Bryce.

Last Friday evening, the Belizean nation lost remarkable people; a great entrepreneur who dabbled in many industries, a loving couple devoted to the educational development of the country's children, and two babies who had promising futures ahead of them. Last Friday evening, the nation mourned the loss of Senator, Knight, bottling magnate, husband, father and friend Sir Barry Bowen. Last Friday evening, the nation lost the Casey family who for nine years, ran the Gallon Jug Community School, got married in Belize and with their two children made the country their home. Last Friday evening, the nation mourned the losses as they came to grip with the harsh reality - a plane crash had claimed all five lives and left no survivors.

Shortly after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 26th, 2010, Sir Barry Bowen, 64, and the Casey family; Michael, 32, Jillian (nee Shuessler), 32, Makayla, 2, and Bryce, 7 month old, boarded Bowen's private blue and white six-seater Cessna airplane (the craft bore registration V3HDR) en route to San Pedro Town. They expected to be on the island in approximately half an hour where they would join their family and friends to enjoy a Luau fundraiser organized by the Island Academy, a private education institution owned by the Bowen family. At about 5:30 p.m., police officers were called to an area just south of the DFC Subdivision where they saw the plane on the ground having experienced extensive damage upon crashing. Inside the plane, officers discovered three of the five passengers, while the other two were discovered a few yards away from the wreckage.

According to Captain Shark's Boatyard employee Bob Gabourel, they were at work in the front yard when the sound of the crash followed by loud screams alarmed them. Their workplace is located a short distance away from where the airplane made it final stop, behind a building which will house Castillo's Hardware. Gabourel, along with fellow coworkers, boarded his employer's boat and drove to the scene. He explained that when he arrived at the site, people were there already trying to render assistance. They immediately joined in the efforts and at approximately 30 feet from the crash they saw the body of a man lying face up in a pool of water. The gentleman had received serious injuries and before attempting to administer first aid, the men worked on getting him to dry land. "It is something that I will never forget," expressed Gabourel, "closer to the airplane we saw what we believed to be a doll. As we got closer we realized that it was a small baby." He continues to explain that after placing the child's body on dry land, they took a look inside craft and saw Sir Bowen on the pilot's seat, and a lady on the back crouched with another child next to her.

Family soon arrived at the scene, mourning the huge loss, as a crowd began to gather. Dr. Otto Rodriguez pronounced all five passengers dead on the scene and once the bodies were removed from the crash, they were transported the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital's morgue.

It was a somber night for Belize as the news traveled across the nation and the world. "Belize has lost its magnate," "Rest in Peace Sir Barry," and "Our hearts are filled with sorrow for the Bowen and Casey family," were some of the items Twittered and Facebooked. It seemed the news took a life of its own and everyone mourned the loss in their own way. The Island Academy fundraiser was an eerie sight, with its colorful lights and fabulous decorations flapping in the wind. It was no longer held.

An official police report states: Initial investigations revealed that the aircraft belonging to Barry Bowen and also piloted by him, transporting two teachers and their children to San Pedro Town, hit a roof and a lamppost near the San Pedro Airstrip causing the plane to lose control and eventually crash.

At a press conference held on Wednesday, March 3rd, Belize's Civil Aviation spoke on the crash; present for the report were Director of Civil Aviation Jose Contreras and Lead Investigator Brian Dominguez. According to their investigations, the private Cessna departed Belize City's Municipal Airstrip at 5:11 p.m. enroute to the island. According to their investigations, everything seemed normal and at .8 of a mile before reaching the San Pedro Municipal Airstrip, the Cessna disappeared from radar (this is customary when a flight begins to descend. Aircrafts flying below 700 feet of altitude automatically disappear from radar). Investigators stated that the accident was a result of Bowen losing control of the aircraft because of contributing factors not yet ascertained. Lead Investigator Dominguez said that their investigations will continue for a period of approximately 12 months and during that time they hope to reconstruct the aircraft for further clues as to what may have caused the accident. Bowen had logged 5,705 hours of flight time during his flight career.

Bowen was laid to rest in San Ignacio on Tuesday after a State Funeral. The Casey's will be buried in the USA at an undetermined time. However on Wednesday, the Gallon Jug Community School was renamed in the Casey's honor for the love and dedication that they had for the Belizean community and the educational needs of the children.

San Pedro Sun