A Trans Guyana Airways Cessna Caravan narrowly escaped a collision with a cow while landing at the Port Kaituma airstrip yesterday morning, prompting local aircraft operators to cease flights into the area indefinitely.
Reports are that around 8:05 am yesterday, the aircraft was in the process of landing at the aerodrome in the Region One community when the incident occurred.
Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Zulficar Mohammed told this newspaper yesterday that he was not aware of the incident. However, this newspaper understands that inspectors attached to the civil aviation department within the Public Works Ministry are aware of the incident.
According to a source, the aircraft, bearing registration, 8R-GAB, which had 16 persons on board, departed the Ogle aerodrome sometime around 7 am yesterday and landed on the airstrip at Port Kaituma an hour later only for a cow to suddenly dash across the path of the aircraft.
The aircraft was already on the ground and was completing its landing roll when the pilot was forced to take evasive action and avoided what could have been a disaster.
The animal was among several which were being taken across the runway at the time by a resident in the area. Like most interior airstrips, residents at Port Kaituma have utilized a section of the runway as a public way.
However, a source within the sector told Stabroek News yesterday that a fence was erected around the runway some time ago but he noted that it was broken at certain sections by residents in order to use the area as a short-cut.
It was noted too that reports were filed with the Works Ministry on several occasions in the past by the local aircraft operators about the circumstances under which they are made to operate when landing aircraft at Port Kaituma.
Local operators have since decided to discontinue flights into the community until the situation improves, a source noted yesterday.
The interior aerodrome is considered one of the busiest during weekdays as mainly miners would ferry goods and equipment between the mining community and the city.
