Maho Beach
Maho Beach is a beach on the Dutch part of the island of St. Martin in the Caribbean . It is known around the world for " plane spotters " in particular due to its direct location at Princess Juliana International Airport and the possibility there of directly observing aircraft on their deep final approach .
The landing threshold of runway 10 is only a few meters from the beach. Landing planes cross the beach at a height of about 10 to 20 meters. Before the start of motion at the start of the aircraft are the thrust jet engines accelerate small stones and kicked up on the sandy beach. Because the planes usually take off in an easterly direction and have to gain altitude quickly because of the hills there, the thrust is often fully built up while stationary before the brakes are released. It is therefore dangerous for spectators to stay on the beach directly behind the runway.
After two French tourists were torn from the fence by the thrust jet of a starting machine and some seriously injured in April 2012, discussions were held about declaring this part of the beach a safety zone.
On July 12, 2017, a woman was also hit by the thrust jet of a plane taking off and suffered fatal injuries.
To inform the onlookers at Maho Beach, the daily flight movements (airlines, landing times and departure locations) on the beach next to the runway are updated by hand on a surfboard by a restaurant operator.
The beach and airport were devastated by the devastating Hurricane Irma .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Plane Spotting on St. Maarten's Maho Beach Turns Ugly: 'Girl Blown By A Plane' at ibtimes.com, accessed April 18, 2012
- ↑ Woman dies after jet blast at Airport at thedailyherald.sx, accessed July 13, 2017
Coordinates: 18 ° 2 '22.5 " N , 63 ° 7' 14.2" W.