An immigration and a customs officer have been interdicted from duty and are to face criminal charges following the disappearance of a British pilot who landed his plane at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri since Tuesday and has not returned for it.
The officers are said to be guilty of failing to ensure that the man completed immigration and customs forms. The disappearance of the pilot raises questions as to the purpose of the landing here and why the plane would be abandoned. It is reminiscent of an incident two years ago when a mystery aircraft was found abandoned at an interior airstrip.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee said that the Mitsubishi MU2 Twin Turbo Prop small aircraft landed at the CJIA around 12:30 pm on Monday. Rohee said that the aircraft is registered to Dust Air Ltd, thought to be a Jamaican establishment. The minister said the plane had a flight plan filed for travel from Jamaica to Venezuela and then to Guyana. According to Rohee, police have detained the plane and disciplinary charges have been filed against the officers, noting that there were internal breaches. “Someone apparently filed a flight plan and got permission clandestinely to follow it,” Rohee said.
He posited that another theory is that the aircraft may have developed emergency problems and had to land at CJIA. The minister said local law enforcement officers searched the aircraft but nothing untoward was found. The aircraft, the minister added, was originally scheduled to land at the Ogle Airport, but it ended up at Timehri. Police up to last evening was still trying to locate the pilot. With the cricket world cup approaching and the creation of a single domestic space, the mysterious landing is likely to raise eyebrows.
A source in the aviation department told this newspaper that the pilot did provide a flight plan which allowed him to land at the airport. However since Tuesday he has not returned to the plane, which is parked badly at the airstrip, the source said.
According to the source, the Jamaican aircraft does not fly the Guyana route regularly. However, the man was allowed to land as he assured the authorities that he was not here for commercial reasons. The source said that the issue at stake now is one which both the immigration and airport authorities have to take blame for. The source noted that although airport officials have the name of the pilot, they do not have any contact details for him and as such they have not been able to reach him.
As a result, the plane is parked in the way of other aircraft and is inconveniencing the authorities.
Back in March 2005 police had stumbled on a Cessna 206 aircraft with duplicate registration. The aircraft was found abandoned at the Kwapau airstrip in the middle Mazaruni. The Cessna with black and grey stripes was first observed to be bearing the number YV0880P. However, closer observation revealed that another number YV2657P had been covered using masking tape. Police were following leads that the craft may have been registered in the US State of Florida.
The force had also been investigating the discovery of a parked and locked 4×4 Tacoma vehicle approximately two miles away at Itaballi Landing and whether there was a possible link between the two. Several persons including a city businessman, who it was said formally owned the Tacoma vehicle, were held as investigations into the discovery of the aircraft and vehicle were pursued.
It is not clear what has become of that aircraft although at the time of its discovery there was a likelihood of it being confiscated by local authorities who would have determined how it was to be disposed of.
The white single engine 106 Cessna aircraft found at the interior airstrip had among its features a special drop door, as well as on-board fuel tanks to facilitate long-range flights, an indication that it may have been used in some illegal activity including the trafficking in narcotics or persons.
