Search called off for missing aircraft

Nov 18, 2008 News

Crew believed dead – Minister Robeson Benn

The two-week search for the missing US aircraft has been called off, and the three passengers that were on board are now presumed dead.

Minister of Transport, Works and Communication, Robeson Benn, made the grim announcement yesterday while expressing condolences to the men’s families and stating that the Government had done all that it could to locate the victims.

“As difficult as it may seem, we have expended all the resources, the time and the effort that we could at this stage. There is nothing more that we can do,” Benn told journalists during a press conference. “We aren’t in a position to recover them. We have no specific knowledge of their whereabouts.

“That is distressing in itself, but I want to assure the public, the organisations concerned, and the families of the occupants of the aircraft that we have done everything that we could under the circumstances, and that our thoughts and hopes and best wishes are with them. “The basis of our calling off the search is that we believe that they have perished.”

Missing and presumed dead are US pilot James Barker, First Officer Chris Paris, also from the US, and Canadian technician Patrick Murphy.

A statement issued to journalists following the press conference stated that the search was “the longest and most intense” search for a missing aircraft over the last 20 years, “using such a large diverse collection of resources.”

Minister Benn disclosed that an investigation will be conducted into the circumstances surrounding the mishap.

Kaieteur News understands that a decision to discontinue the search was made since Saturday, and the search and rescue centre that was set up was closed.

However, spokesman for Prometheus International, Shazadh Khan, told Kaieteur News yesterday that the company is not abandoning the search.

“We are going to cut ‘lines’ (trails) and search the survey area. We will continue for a month. Whatever we find, we will bring out.” Benn said that there were 200 hours of aerial search that covered some 28,260 miles.

During the press conference, Minister Benn repeatedly stated that the search team did everything it could. “I’d say that everything that we did, we can do better. We have procedures which are internationally mandated, which we have been following.”

Benn also said that, despite having sophisticated equipment, the team was unable to locate the missing aircraft, since the ELT signals they were picking up were ‘bouncing around.’ “An expert came down with sophisticated equipment and he could not locate the specific area.”

He confirmed that the search began at around 09:00 hrs the day after the plane went missing, but explained that weather conditions prevented the search aircraft from venturing to the area sooner. “There was no flight out of the GDF helicopter that evening (when the plane disappeared).

“There were issues of range and weather, and I think that it would have been unconscionable at the time, our knowing the terrain in which they had to fly, the time of day, it would have been risky for them to go out.”

However, the pilots of two planes that were in the area at the time were asked to try to make contact with the missing aircraft.

In the meantime, the skytrack information was being examined, and the US Mission Command Centre was being asked for any signals and information with respect to this kind of problem. At some time around midday, the choppers were over the area.

“The difficulty was that we had no firm location and we had the issue of the weather yesterday.”
According to the statement issued to journalists, while the search for information was being conducted, GCAA personnel along with the GDF, British Military, Terraquest and local aircraft operators began planning for search and rescue mission.

The two British Lynx helicopters, a fixed-wing aircraft, and GDF Special Forces were put on standby.
However, due to the absence of an ELT signal, the nature of the terrain, a poor weather report in that area, and other logistics, it was considered unsafe to launch a search on the night of November 1.

The search commenced with eight aircraft — two Britten Norman Islanders, one Skyvan, two Lynx helicopters, one Piper Cherokee, one Piper Navajo, one Cessna 172, personnel from GCAA Air Corps and Special Forces, Guyana Police Force, British Military, private operators and flight crew.

The search area was sectorised, and each aircraft carried out a systematic search within its assigned grid. A total of 33.73 hours in aerial search was completed for this day.

On Monday November 3, Dynamic Aviation Beech King Air joined the aerial search. A total of six aircraft continued aerial search in areas assigned.

The aerial search continued with the additional resources, including helicopters, two Beech King Air and electronic equipment (thermal heating infrared camera, day camera, direction-finding device GPS) from Dynamic Aviation.

Ground searches commenced in tandem with aerial searches in identified areas of interest. Information received from residents, miners, observers flight crews etc, were verified, and search crews were updated accordingly.

After nine days of intense aerial search using specialised equipment, there had been no positive sighting of the aircraft, and helicopters and other resources were placed on standby.

“After a total of approximately 200 hours and 28,260 miles of aerial searching, with no sighting of the missing aircraft, it was decided that the search will be continued using ground patrols only. “Other reports received are being investigated by ground patrols.”

Helicopters and other resources continue to be on standby in the event of a positive sighting of the aircraft,” the statement said.

The Beech King Air N87V, chartered from Dynamic Aviation Group Inc by Terraques Ltd, disappeared on November 1 while conducting geographical surveys in the Mazaruni area.

The aircraft, with fuel for five and one half-hours, was scheduled to operate in the Chi Chi-Imbaimadai area for approximately four and one-half hours before returning to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

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