The Mosquito Research and Control Unit remains without its second pilot as a Civil Aviation Authority investigation drags on.
The pilot, a contractor who flies the MRCU’s second plane, was grounded after the CAA received a report of an MRCU plane flying too close to a cruise ship at George Town on 9 May.
On 30 May, the CAA confirmed the pilot’s licence had been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, which the CAA expected to be complete a couple of days later.
On Tuesday – nearly a fortnight later – the CAA confirmed the investigation remained ongoing.
‘The investigation has not been concluded as yet and is on-going at this time,’ read a CAA statement.
No reason was given for the apparent delay.
The delay has left the MRCU’s full time pilot, Richard Clough, with sole responsibility for aerial mosquito spraying operations on Grand Cayman.
Although the pilot’s grounding has not yet had a significant effect on the MRCU’s aerial operations, it is understood that Mr. Clough has been left with a hectic workload.
If mosquito conditions were to worsen, the contract pilot’s grounding could pose a problem, it is understood.
News of the delay came after Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts on Friday took issue with the cruise ship passenger that made the initial complaint.
Speaking at last Friday’s Cabinet Press Briefing, Mr. Tibbetts said he couldn’t understand why the passenger was complaining if he or she did not have any problems with mosquitoes.
‘The passenger … who saw that the pilot fly too close to the cruise ship is not … having problems with mosquitoes so I can’t understand why they made all those comments,’ Mr. Tibbetts said.
‘It does really bug me; this cruise ship passenger, instead of enjoying the cruise, is going to go to the pain of making sure they report that to the Cayman Islands.’
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