People from various parts of Anguilla rushed to the Clayton Lloyd International Airport – and employees in the Terminal Building ran outside as perhaps the largest and most ominous-looking military aircraft, seen on the island in recent times, roared overhead as if in a landing position.
The incident, on Sunday afternoon, May 14, turned out to be a training exercise by a US military cargo plane. Some persons held the view that it might have been a salute to the island as the 50th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution approaches. Those making the assumption were recalling the days when British C130 aircraft did mission flights to the island during the troubled days in 1967 and 1969.
The matter was quickly cleared in a press release by the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority. The release reads as follows:
“After much public interest, the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority (AASPA) wishes to inform that on Sunday, 14 May 2017 at about 1.20 pm, an American cargo aircraft did two (2) low approaches at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport.
“The aircraft was on a navigational training exercise and was practising the use of Anguilla’s low frequency navigational beacon. This beacon is one of the very few of its type left in the world and has become popular with aircraft that still have low frequency receivers. These beacons are now scheduled for de-commissioning in 2018 as all aviation navigation will become satellite-based at that time.
“The aircraft was a C17 which is used for transporting cargo. The flight originated in St. Croix, U.S.V.I. It did a practice approach in St. Maarten, N.A. before coming to Anguilla. After the two approaches in Anguilla, the aircraft departed directly for St. Croix.”
