Tomorrow will make it one year since four BDF soldiers were killed when a U1H1 helicopter went crashing into a lagoon. The men - Majors Radford Baizar and Adran Ramirez as well as Corporals Yassir Mendez and Reynaldo Choco - were on a sanctioned mission following the landing of a drug plane in an area off the Coastal Road. While the authorities celebrated a bust of 70 bales of cocaine, the men were in the bottom of a nearby lagoon, and no one knew.
The sequence of events began when, hours after the crash, the men were unaccounted for. After searching the area where the plane landed, the tail of the helicopter was seen jutting out from the lagoon.
A while after, the four bodies were retrieved. The news sent shockwaves across the country and a heavy mourning set in.
The questions then began pouring in - why were the men not reported missing until 12 hours later? And not found until 30 hours later? Why were all the communications over WhatsApp in an area with spotty data? Doesn't the BDF have nighttime equipment?
The Honduras Air Force was brought in to investigate the matter. In the end, with a million questions left unanswered, their report pointed to pilot error. Major Radford Baizar reportedly experienced spatial disorientation and took a sharp right turn, plunging the helicopter at high speed into the 5 feet deep lagoon.
And now, a year later, the four families of these men are still lacking closure, and grieving their loved ones, who were also their breadwinners. And reports are that they still have not received the final settlement promised to them by the government.
