The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is investigating two recent aircraft incidents in the hinterland, in which concerns were raised about the actions of the pilots.
Last weekend, an Air Services Limited (ASL) Cessna Caravan aircraft landed at the Mabaruma airstrip in Region One and suffered a blow out to the main landing gear. Reports are that soon after the aircraft touched down at Mabaruma Sunday morning, it suffered the blowout.
However, contrary to reports in other sections of the media, the aircraft did not overturn. An official at ASL told Stabroek News yesterday that soon after the aircraft landed on the airstrip, the tyre popped and it soon grounded to a halt. He said persons on the ground later assisted in pushing the aircraft off the side of the runway while the company summoned another aircraft with technicians to remedy the situation.
A passenger who travelled to Mabaruma on Sunday morning said he felt a “little jerk” soon after the aircraft landed there. “It was not a big deal as it was reported in the media,” the man stated, but he noted that the authorities needed to monitor the operations of flights to the hinterland areas, since there are many incidents which go unreported.
Persons at Mabaruma said the authorities should investigate the manner in which a certain pilot operates while flying to the Region One community, since he often flies low over a house in the community where his parents reside. They also said that he operates the aircraft in an unconventional manner while taking off from Mabaruma.
Stabroek News understands that early last week, a Trans Guyana Airways, Britten Norman Islander bearing registration 8R-GHM was on its way to the city from Olive Creek, in the Mazaruni, when the pilot reported to air traffic services that he was making an emergency landing at the Bartica airstrip.
The aircraft was carrying 10 persons at the time and according to reports, the pilot had forgotten to switch on the main fuel tanks to power the aeroplane. According to a source, the aircraft was flying on reserve fuel, which only enabled it to complete half of its flight. The source noted that the pilot managed to land the aircraft within minutes of the expiry of its fuel endurance capacity. Passengers on the flight were not aware of the situation but they expressed concern about the incident after it became known. The aircraft later touched down at the Ogle airport safely.
This newspaper was unable to obtain a comment from GCAA head Zulficar Mohammed yesterday. However, sources there said that both incidents are being investigated by the body. There have been several aircraft incidents in the country in recent months and Mohammed told Stabroek News earlier that such incidents are investigated by the GCAA as is mandatory, with a significant cost attached. He said the results would take months since the local aviation body as well as the aircraft manufacturer would have to investigate the incidents in detail.
