Pilot dies three weeks after wedding

Three weeks ago, Rojorn Campbell wedded Amoy and was planning a great future together. The 25-year-old had graduated from aviation school in 2014, and was employed to International Airlink. Joel, his elder brother, said his little brother dreamt of becoming a pilot and was always fascinated with aircrafts.

But Rojorn's life was cut short after the plane which he was flying crashed in the Trelawny hills.

Police reports are that a Cessna 206 single engine aircraft domestic carrier departed the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, last Thursday, May 3, enroute to the Tinson Pen Aerodrome in Kingston with Campbell as the captain, and Carlon Snipe and Miguel Jones as passengers.

LAST HAPPY MOMENT

It was reported that contact was lost with the aircraft while it was in the airspace over Trelawny. A search was subsequently launched, and the aircraft was found destroyed in a densely wooded section of Georgia, Trelawny.

Joel, who last saw his brother three weeks ago at his wedding, said it was their last happy moment together.

"We spoke after his reception and we were both so happy as he just entered married life and has his whole future ahead of him. He was really young but his dreams were big and he was already putting them into motion. It is a tragedy and I am asking everyone to keep us in prayer as we try to come to terms with is death," a tearful Joel said of his brother, who is the father of a five-year-old daughter.

Following the disappearance of the plane last Thursday, the Campbells took to their knees asking God to protect the persons onboard. And when Joel got word from a police officer that Rojorn was found alive, he fell on the ground giving praises to the Almighty. However, minutes later, he came face to face with the harsh reality that he was the receiver of false news as his little brother as well as the two other occupants of the small aircraft had perished in the crash.

LONGLIFE DREAM

"We prayed for a miracle but it didn't happen, and all I can ask is a lot of 'whys'. All I could do was look to the heaven. I cried so much already so it's like I couldn't cry. On our way down to Duncans, I purchased two bottles of water and I shared one with my wife and save the other one for Rojorn because I thought he was just lost out there and dehydrated. But my brother never got to take a sip," Douglas said before bursting out into tears.

Joel said his little brother was bent on becoming a pilot.

"When we were smaller and the planes were flying overhead, he used to run out and get all excited and everything. It was his lifelong dream. Like most children, he used to make paper planes and he just knew that he would have become a pilot. He was fearless and trusted and believed in God for his protection," he said.

"My brother was a fighter and I knew he died trying his best to save his life as well as the others in the plane. I'm certain he died a hero," Joel said.

An investigation is now under way to determine the cause of the crash.