Report from Jamaica: A plane crashes...what about clean up?

American Airlines flight 333 touched down in heavy rain at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica, on December 22, 2009 – but failed to stop.  The Boeing 737 broke through the airport perimeter fence, crossed Port Royal Road, and pancaked onto the beach.  Another 15 feet and it would have been in the sea.  Fortunately, all 148 passengers and six crew escaped with their lives.  More than 1,500 gallons of jet fuel, engine oil and fire retardant sprays were left behind.  ELAW partner Diana McCaulay began work immediately to protect the beach and sea from contamination.  She called on ELAW for help.  Diana is the Director of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) and has worked with ELAW since 2003.  The following is Diana’s report.

December 23, 2009
JET learns of the crash via newspaper headlines early on the 23rd.  We immediately contact the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and ask about clean up plans.  They tell us they have visited the scene and thought it was “fine.” There is a suggestion that the jet fuel could have evaporated. Access to the site is severely limited by the ongoing crash investigation, so we cannot see for ourselves. We recommend that the contaminated area be bermed immediately, to prevent the spilled fuel from running into the sea.  There are no berms available. Norman Manley International Airport is located in the Palisadoes/Port Royal Protected Area.

December 28, 2009
Following considerable follow up by JET, regulators are now paying attention.  JET calls on ELAW for help and within hours we receive the names of people in key clean up and response institutions in the U.S., copies of clean up reports and sampling protocols, websites for berms and other materials, and suggestions for responses suitable for Jamaica.  JET provides these to NEPA.

December 30, 2009
JET is invited to a meeting with American Airlines, their local environmental consultants, other government agencies, and a large group from NEPA. The body of the plane has been moved from the beach and is in a hangar at the airport.  No meeting papers are officially circulated beforehand, but JET knows that environmental consultants have been selected and obtains a copy of their report.  JET again asks the ELAW network for help and receives information on best practices for dealing with contaminated soil.

December 31, 2009
Diana attends the meeting armed with concrete proposals for a clean up.  The country director for American Airlines says American is conscious of the impact of the crash on the natural environment and will not shirk their responsibilities.  She says American stands ready and able to do whatever is required by the Government of Jamaica (which is still unclear).  The environmental consultant presents his recommendations for sampling and clean up.

During the meeting, Diana uses her Blackberry to consult with members of the ELAW network and receives instant responses. Diana fears that Blackberries will be banned from future government meetings! 

It is agreed that no final decision can be made about clean up of the contaminated soil without understanding the scope of the problem.  Sampling is set to begin immediately, along with fencing, covering, and berming the affected area.  The Ministry of Health will carry out a health assessment of airport workers and citizens living nearby.  Information will be provided by American about what exactly could have been released to the environment at the crash site.

A proposal to send the contaminated soil to the city dump gets a thumbs down.  It is suggested that the contaminated soil be exported to a treatment facility in the U.S.

The meeting ends with Diana insisting that once the clean up is underway, another meeting must be held to put systems in place to ensure a quicker, more focused response in the future.

January 4, 2010
Two weeks have passed and so far, no clean up.  The sites for soil testing have been identified by setting out a testing grid and a tarpaulin has been laid down, secured by stones.  No final word on fencing or signage to warn people of any danger.  Schematics showing where power and phone lines run underground have not yet been provided, so excavation cannot start.  Rain could spell disaster, with toxic fuel, oil, and other chemicals running into the sea.

JET continues to press the Government of Jamaica and its regulatory bodies to start the clean up immediately, to protect the marine environment in one of the island’s important natural areas.

January 16, 2010
A private jet, bound for the relief effort in Haiti, safely completes an emergency landing at Norman Manley International Airport, dumping fuel before landing.  JET requests advice from the ELAW network on how to locate and treat fuel spilled in the sea.

January 17, 2010
JET learns that the contaminated soil will be “land farmed” at a location close to the airport.  Diana again contacts the ELAW network.  An ELAW partner in Australia confirms that land farming volatile contaminants has worked well in Australia, and is preferable to dumping at a landfill.

Soil testing has identified the worst areas, but NEPA has refused any excavation, pending completion of soil testing.  JET urges them to move the contaminated soil to the lined, bermed area further inland while testing continues.  Bad weather pounds the north coast of Jamaica, but so far, the south coast has not had rain or heavy seas.  Water quality tests do not show contaminants in the sea, but the clean up is taking far too long.

JET continues to push for a multi-agency planning meeting to discuss the slowness of the response to the crash and to identify gaps and future protocols.  ELAW continues to give technical advice.  JET hopes to be involved, with support from ELAW, in the development of a new disaster response plan for the environment at both major airports in Jamaica.

“Diana is making this clean up happen. I’m thrilled that ELAW could give her the scientific support she needed.”   Bern Johnson Executive Director, ELAW
	PHOTOS: (c) The Gleaner Company Limited, 2009