No. 1 light.
Statements from the company doctor indicated that Cramer's visual defect was of a mild nature and that under the conditions that then existed he should have been able to see the entire landing path without difficulty. CAA medical examiners found the above statements to be consistent with the medical reports concerning Cramer contained within CAA records for the proceeding five years. However, in view of the fact that his vision without glasses was inferior to that normally required of an airline transport pilot, his failure to wear glasses cannot be dismissed entirely and may have contributed to his error in judgment of correct altitude just prior to impact.
Knowledge of Cramer's considerable previous experience with four-engine flying boats would have justified Captain Goyette in assuming that Cramer was capable of negotiating the lading safely, and, therefore, Captain Goyette is not subject to criticism for directing First Officer Cramer to execute the approach and landing. However, since Cramer's total experience in the Martin M-130 type included less than a two-hour company check-out at Miami and a portion of the flight time to Port of Spain, Captain Goyette should have been particularly alert to his responsibility that the aircraft be landed safely. Proper exercise of this responsibility required a greater attention to the attitude of the aircraft and its relation to the water than to any particular instrument indications. The statement made by Captain Goyette that his attention "was still in the cockpit" during the final stages of the landing indicates his preoccupation with the instruments and his failure at the crucial moment adequately to monitor his copilot's approach to a safe landing.
- 9 -
