Latest update January 15th, 2025 3:34 AM
Crashed aircraft spotted
– GDF troops trekking to site
Pilots of two Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopters spotted the wreckage of the Trans Guyana Airway’s 700 Cessna Caravan 8R-GHS about four kilometers south-southwest of Olive Creek after noon yesterday.
Missing cargo loader: Dwayne Jacobs (The earlier photo published in Kaieteur News occurred by error)
However the site’s densely forested terrain and rainy weather conditions made it inaccessible to the helicopters. As such, the GDF troops were forced to rappel into a location one mile away from the wreckage.
The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in a press statement yesterday afternoon said that GDF Special Forces Officers, including medical personnel, are making their way to provide assistance to the pilot, Blake Slater and cargo loader, Dwayne Jacobs, the only two persons who were on board, and to carry out an extraction.
According to Transport Minister Robeson Benn, GDF Special Force Officers trekking the jungle will be working through the night to access the swampy area where the aircraft is located. They are required to clear a helipad to allow for the helicopter to land. This is not an easy task since the area is densely forested.
Director of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Zulficar Mohamed, told media operatives that progress has been made in attempts to get to the aircraft after it was sighted at approximately 12:35hrs.
According to Mohamed two GDF (Special Forces) ranks were inserted on the ground, approximately one mile away from the crash site.
“Depending on the terrain, which is said to be densely forested, the time span for the ranks reaching the crashed area will vary,” Mohamed said.
He added that once the site is reached, the ranks’ first order is to rescue, once alive, the crew members.
“At this time we cannot tell you what is the status of the passengers until the GDF is there, and the first thing they need to do at the site is to extract the personnel and when that is finished the site will be secured for the GCAA persons to investigate… this security is necessary to ensure that the site and information is not contaminated and we have to have the first access.”
Additional personnel including another medical doctor and GCAA investigators will be transported to the site via the first flight this morning.
The site will be secured by the GDF to maintain its integrity and to ensure the evidence is not contaminated.
An update of the team’s progress would be issued later today.
Missing pilot: Blake Slater0
On Saturday, at approximately 10:56hrs the Air Traffic Control Tower received a report from another one of Trans Guyana’s aircraft that the company’s Cessna Caravan 8R-GHS reported going down after takeoff from Olive Creek aerodrome on a shuttle operation between Olive Creek and Imbaimadai.
The authority immediately activated the rescue coordination centre at the Air Traffic Control Tower, Timehri. The pilot who reported the aircraft’s distress was only able to hear the latitude coordinates of the airplane. This allowed the authority to plot an approximate position where the plane had crashed.
The airplane’s emergency locator beacon did not trigger and no smoke emanated from the site. As such, the exact location of the plane was unknown on Saturday evening when the search ended for the night.
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