Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
Deadly Eteringbang plane crash… Domestic Airways CEO fined $200,000 for failing to provide accident details
Orlando Charles, Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) of Domestic Airways, yesterday returned to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and was fined for failing to provide accident details.
Dead: Captain Randy Liverpool
Domestic Airlines CEO Orlando Charles
He was slapped with four charges in relation to the deadly plane crash at Eteringbang, Region Seven, which claimed the life of Captain Randy Liverpool last February.
Liverpool perished in the Cessna 206 aircraft which crash-landed near the Eteringbang airstrip. The charges brought against his employer were filed under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) regulations by acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Protection, Adrian Ramrattan.
The first charge stated that Airline between February 20, 2019, and February 25, 2019, at Georgetown, being the employer of Randy Liverpool, a pilot, failed to keep a register of accidents, as required by law. Charles pleaded not guilty to the charge.
A second charge stated that during the same period, the Airline also failed to provide to OS&H Officer, Dwain Vyphuis, with information in relation to the accident which led to the death of Liverpool.
The third charge stated the company also failed to give written notice of an accident arising out of the death of Liverpool.
The last charge stated that also between February 20, 2019, and March 20, 2019, the Airways failed to make an application to the Chief Officer of the OS&H within 30 days of their establishment.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the last three charges and was fined a sum of $75,000 on the last two charges or in default he is to spend three weeks in prison.
For the second charge the magistrate fined him $200,000, taking into consideration the defendant’s request to provide all requested details within one week. He was also instructed to pay his $200,000 fine by next week.
Meanwhile, Charles, who was unrepresented in court had explained that he is new to aviation management in Guyana. He said that he has been a pilot for 18 years.
He claimed that the aviation industry is strictly regulated by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and he acquired their licence to operate and was not aware of the agency‘s OSH regulations and risks.
Domestic Airlines was operating in Guyana since 2014. The lawyer claimed that the company had been certified in January 2018. According to Morgan, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority is currently conducting a separate investigation into the matter.
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