Missing in the sky – Do or Die!

Jan 10, 2015 Letters

---

DEAR EDITOR,
I am no pilot or aviation enthusiast, just a mere earthling trying to find answers to things that fell from above to Earth beneath. Here we are in our twelfth day searching for the missing aircraft, pilot and cargo handler.  The vanishing of planes without trace is nothing new, but the current investigation is surrounded by some confusion and shrouded chaos.
On the Aviation Safety Network, an exclusive service of the Flight Safety Foundation, the information states that first flight of the said missing plane Britten Norman Islander BN-2A-6 took place in 1971. If this stands correct then that is some forty-three years ago. In addition, the distance from Mahdia to Karisparu as the crow flies is 52 km (32 miles).
Facts are: The Cessna Britten Norman Islander took off from Mahdia at 15:42 UTC (11:42 local time) on a routine local cargo flight and the last known position was Spot Tracker hit at 15:44 UTC (11:44 local time). The aircraft was estimated to arrive at Karisparu at 16:00 UTC (12:00 local time). It is clear to even the most mathematically simplistic that the journey from point A-Point B would be only an eighteen-minute duration.
At 16:20 UTC, now twenty minutes later than the expected arrival time, Timehri Air Traffic Control made contact with the aircraft operator to establish whether the aircraft landed, before implementing a search and rescue operation.
Does Karisparu not carry any control tower or air traffic personnel?
After no information was received, the Air Traffic Control commenced the ‘alert phase’ and the Rescue Coordination Centre at the Timehri Control Tower was activated.
Prominent aviator, Captain Gerry Gouveia said that the disappearance of the Air Services Limited aircraft is baffling; despite acknowledging that the area the plane was operating in is one of the most hostile jungle and mountainous areas in Guyana. Gouveia said this is the worst possible area to operate regularly, much less having to conduct a search and rescue operation.
If all that has been known and said holds any degree of truth, then what measures were put in place aforehand in the event of a plane disaster such as this one.  Hindsight is 20/20 or better translated blindsight 2=0/2=0.
Sources have said that overloading of the plane when it took off from Mahdia may have been a possibility.  The reliability of these sources of information are somewhat questionable, as they kept silent on knowledge of such a sensitive nature, that may now be viewed as the contributory factor in the crash.
On whom, and with whom did the onus lie for ensuring that the plane did not exceed its expected load allowance? Was the pilot aware of any excess weight? Who verifies a plane’s load and balance sheet? It was reported that the aircraft can carry up to 1500 pounds.
It should not be forgotten that last July, a Britten Norman Islander plane of similar genre crashed while landing at the Monkey Mountain airstrip in the interior. What were the findings? Were these made available, and if so to whom?  Were there any recommendations geared at preventing future crashes?
Transport Minister Robeson Benn at a specially convened press conference disclosed that the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) at Timehri Control Tower has been in constant contact with their Surinamese counterparts and those from the United States Mission Coordination Centre as the search continues for the missing Britten Norman Islander aircraft.
Benn added that the rescue aspect of the mission has passed and the mission has now gone into recovery mode, noting that the search will continue.
They are also looking at several other factors including the failure of the pilot to call in ‘May Day’ which is a distress call which can be easily picked up by aircraft around the area. At this point in time, there is no report of such a call being received.  Some concern surrounds the reason why the pilot, a veteran flyer would neglect to give a distress signal. Were there other simultaneous goings-on? Or did the inability to see the sky render the pilot unable to safely fly?
My profound sympathy goes out to the grieving families. However, it is my sincere wish that whenever the plane is found on the ground, that a thorough investigation be conducted, with the primary goal being a non-recurrence, and consideration be given to Guyanese authorities acquiring vehicles and devices suitable for searches in jungle and mountainous areas, rather than soliciting help from other countries.
The search and rescue party is focusing on where could the plane be? With the fullness of time and effort all the answers we’ll see.
Yvonne Sam

---

---