All Cessna Caravans operating out of the Eugene F. Correia International Airport have been temporarily grounded to facilitate visual inspections by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
The decision follows the reported collapse of the left landing gear on a Cessna aircraft belonging to Air Services Limited (ASL) on Wednesday afternoon while it was being loaded at the Ogle hangar for a flight to Imbaimadai, in Region Seven.
This was confirmed yesterday by Director General of the GCAA Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field, who noted that the decision to ground the caravans was in the interest of safety.
Field also explained that with the inspections being visual, the caravans, once given the green light, would be able to operate before the end of the day as the GCAA wanted to ensure minimum disruption of commercial operations at Ogle.
Notwithstanding, the Director General noted that more in-depth inspections would follow at a later date.
The assurance of safety in the local aviation sector has been a focal point for the GCAA, particularly since the deaths of two pilots just weeks apart in 2017.
This also led to the temporary suspension of shuttle flights in the interior by the GCAA to facilitate a review of policies and procedures for shuttle operations.
Field had at the time noted that though the decision was a drastic one, it was one that was made in the interest of ensuring the travelling public’s safety.
On July 25th, 2017, 39-year-old Collin Winston Martin, the chief medical evacuation pilot for Roraima Airlines, died after his plane crashed while approaching the Eteringbang airstrip in Region Seven.
On August 8th, 2017, a single engine Cessna aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff at the Eteringbang airstrip in Region 7. The pilot suffered minor injuries.
On August 27, 2017, Air Services Limited pilot Imran Khan, 41, died after the plane he was flying crashed into the jungle between Chi-Chi and Mahdia, in Region Eight.
