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Matthew’s Ridge plane crash pilot suspended
– company mulls compensation package
Air Services Limited pilot Feriel Ally has been suspended until investigators ascertain the circumstances that caused her to crash two Mondays ago at Matthew’s Ridge.
And although initial investigations suggest that inclement weather caused the mishap, Captain Ally will have to undergo further tests to ascertain that she is capable of flying the Cessna Caravan aircraft.
Captain Feriel Ally
“She will not be allowed to fly until she is cleared by the GCCA (Guyana Civil Aviation Authority),” a source close to the investigation said yesterday.
The source said that Ally has only been flying the Cessna Caravan for about a year. This is a more complex machine than the Britten-Norman BN 2 Islander, which she has often flown.
Kaieteur News was told that engineers are preparing to bring the damaged engine to Ogle this week, and that the engine will be taken overseas for further tests. Initial reports had suggested that the plane could have been salvaged but sources now say that it was damaged beyond repair.
Meanwhile, Kaieteur News understands that Air Services Limited officials are trying to come up with a compensation package for the eleven injured passengers.
This newspaper had reported that Attorney-at-Law Melvin Duke had sent a statement of claim to ASL on behalf of injured passengers Clinton Campbell, 30, and Troy Henry, 25.
Campbell is a father of two and has a pregnant wife. He said he is unable to work because he received injuries to his hand. Henry also received injuries.
Initial investigations indicate that Ally clipped a tree while circling the Matthew’s Ridge area during heavily overcast conditions that prevented her from seeing the airstrip.
Kaieteur News understands that an agent at Matthew’s Ridge had informed the pilot that the weather was good enough for her to land.
According to sources, an aircraft takes some 40 to 50 minutes to reach Matthew’s Ridge, and during that time, the weather changed drastically. However, the pilot was reportedly not informed about the change in weather.
Kaieteur News was told that after arriving at Matthew’s Ridge with poor visibility, Captain Ally circled the airstrip three times, and while circling a fourth time, one of the wings clipped a tree. It was then that the pilot switched off the fuel pumps as the plane went down.
This reportedly prevented the highly flammable fuel from flowing to the engine.
It is believed that this action also prevented the plane from bursting into flames when it crashed.
Engineers from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Caribbean Aviation Maintenance Service (CAMS) and Trans-Guyana Airways are conducting the investigation.
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