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GCAA, Police launch probe into deadly GDF helicopter crash
Kaieteur News – The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) helicopter crash which claimed the lives of five servicemen on Wednesday.
The Force’s Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan told reporters on Saturday at a press conference held at Base Camp Ayanganna, Georgetown that no information is available relative to the cause of the accident. He said too that those details will be provided when the investigation is completed.
A GDF Bell 412EPI Helicopter 8R-AYA disappeared in the dense jungle between Ekereku and Arau, near the Guyana/Venezuela Border in the Cuyuni District, Region Seven. The recently commissioned aircraft had reportedly crashed that day killing five of the seven occupants on board.
Chief-of-Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Omar Khan
Those who died are Brigadier (Ret’d) Gary Beaton, Colonel Michael Shahoud, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome and Staff Sergeant Jason Khan.
Lieutenant Andio Michael Crawford and Corporal Dwayne Jackson are the lone survivors of the horrific crash.
GDF’s Chief of Staff, Brigadier Khan told reporters that, “There is a phase now we are going into which is the investigation phase and that is outside of the remit of the GDF. We will now have the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority along with the Guyana Police Force conduct their investigation.”
He noted that because the GDF was a part of the operation, they would have to provide the information to those investigators.
“The process has already started, we have handed over a number of items to the Civil Aviation Authority and the police also has commenced their investigation,” he related.
Map showing the direction of GDF Bell 412EPI Helicopter (blue arrows) on Wednesday after departing Camp Ayanganna, Georgetown.
Brigadier Khan said too that the two survivors, having received full medical treatment will brief investigators on what occurred that day.
Apart from the GCAA and the Police Force conducting their investigations, the GDF will also be conducting its own investigations through its Board of Inquiry (BOI).
“We already convened a board to be done internally with our own protocols, certainly this incident has resulted in the loss of lives and we want to know why also within our own system. A Board of Inquiry will be done,” the Chief-of-Staff added.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Khan said that while there is currently an imminent threat to the country’s territory, the particular flight to the bordering area on Wednesday was a “command mission to visit our troops not only Arau but also Eteringbang and Makapa.”
During the mission also, Kaieteur News understands that the flight was taking a small supply of ration for the troops at the locations.
Briefing the media also was Air Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Mohinder Ramjag who said the GDF Bell 412 EPI Helicopter departed Camp Ayanganna at 09:24hrs on Wednesday on a mission and the intent of the mission was to go to Arau.
After departing Camp Ayanganna, it made a stop at Olive Creek, Region Seven, a distance of approximately 144 miles away. The aircraft got there at 10:47hrs and according to Lieutenant Colonel Ramjag, the aircraft refueled and at 10:58hrs, it departed Olive Creek for Arau.
Demonstrating via a map the intended route of the aircraft to go to Arau from Olive Creek, Lt. Col. Ramjag said, “However on this day (Wednesday), the pilot deviated to the right or to the north and that can be for many reasons.”
He noted that shortly after the aircraft deviated from its intended route while enroute to Arau, contact was lost with the aircraft in the vicinity of the Blake Slater’s area.
According to the army officer, on receiving the Emergency Locater Transmitter (ELT) signal from the aircraft at 11:19hrs that day, a search and rescue operation was immediately launched.
However, efforts to locate the aircraft that day were hampered by the bad weather. Kaieteur News had reported that the crash site was located on Thursday and efforts to extract the two survivors and the deceased were done on Friday.
This publication understands that the GDF Bell 412 EPI Helicopter, as a result of the crash, is badly burnt leaving few remaining parts. Ramjag disclosed that the body of the aircraft was primarily burnt.
The GDF said its plans to extract the aircraft will be made known. (Allyiah Allicock)
- Base Camp Ayanganna, Brigadier Omar Khan, Chief-of-Staff of the GDF, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Guyana Police Force (GPF)
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