Aircraft debris, bodies of Americans found off coast of Port Antonio

Chad Bryan, Staff Reporter

Friends and family of Jane and Larry Glazer, owners and passengers of the ill-fated Socata TBN aircraft that crashed 14 miles off the coast of Port Antonio, Jamaica last September, can find closure as the Glazer's bodies and parts of the plane have been found.

"That search was a success, and so it is with great relief that we will be bringing our parents home. We also recovered significant portions of the aircraft itself and we are hopeful that, in time, this will provide us with answers as to exactly what happened that day. Knowing we did all that could be done to bring our parents home provides us with the possibility for closure and eventual healing ...," the Glazer's children said in a statement, released to the media in the United States yesterday.

The bodies and debris from the plane were found Monday, 19 nautical miles, north of Port Antonio.

Larry and Jane Glazer, a prominent couple of Rochester in the US, died while flying to Naples, Florida, on September 5 when their French-built turbo-prop aircraft allegedly lost cabin pressure, lowering oxygen levels and rendering them unconscious before crashing off the coast of Jamaica.

Sometime last year, the family had embarked on a search to find a salvaging company, but no official word by them on whether one was selected had been forthcoming.

However, a statement released by the Maritime Authority of Jamaica yesterday, as well as that issued by the family, said that the Maryland-based deep-sea recovery firm, Eclipse Group Inc, was contracted earlier this month to carry out salvaging efforts.

Director general of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, Rear Admiral Peter Brady, said Jamaica was mainly involved in the planning of the operation.

"We were part of (the) planning. We didn't deploy. A vessel came self-contained with its own crew," he said.

The operation, conducted by the company, commenced on January 13 with the deployment of technologically advanced underwater detection and recovery equipment from the MV Ocean Pioneer vessel.

On Monday, the operation ended with the recovery of bodies and parts of the plane. The Glazer's family praised the recovery efforts of Eclipse in their issued statement.

"We also want to send a special thanks to the Government of Jamaica, particularly the Maritime Authority of Jamaica and the Civil Aviation Authority of Jamaica, for going above and beyond the call of duty in order to help our mission succeed," the family stated.