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‘Two years, no answers’ – fury grows as deadly GDF helicopter crash report remains hidden
(Kaieteur News) – Two years after the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Bell 412 helicopter crash that shocked the nation, the official accident report, is yet to be released by the Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill.
Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) and Member of Parliament (MP) Amanza Walton-Desir is now calling on the Government of Guyana to immediately make the findings public.
GDF servicemen that died in the tragic helicopter accident.
On December 6, 2023, five of the seven occupants aboard the aircraft died when the aircraft crashed in the jungle between Arau and Ekereku in Region Seven.
Those confirmed dead are: the pilot-in-command, veteran aviator Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, Colonel Michael Shahoud, Lieutenant Colonel Shaun Welcome, Staff Sergeant Jason Khan and Brigadier (Ret’d) Gary Beaton.Lieutenant Andio Michael Crawford, a pilot on board the aircraft, and Corporal Dwayne Johnson survived the crash.
Following the tragedy, Minister Edghill appointed a special investigator, and by late December 2023, he announced that the helicopter’s black box had been sent to the United States for analysis. Nearly a year later, on November 12, 2024, Edghill disclosed that a draft report had been completed and circulated to stakeholders for comment. Since then, however, no report, draft or final, has been released to the public. Attempts to contact the minister for an update proved unsuccessful, with calls going unanswered and messages unread.
On Sunday, President Irfaan Ali issued a statement honouring the fallen servicemen. “We remember them not only as soldiers, but as fathers, sons, friends, and patriots,” he wrote. “Their sacrifice continues to guide us, strengthen us, and remind us of the profound duty we all share to our One Guyana.”
However, Walton-Desir criticised the statement for omitting any mention of the long-delayed accident report. “His words were warm, his sentiments kind, and his tone reverential. But once again, he avoided the one thing the families and the nation still need: the truth about what happened. Two years have now passed. Yet the official accident report remains withheld,” she said.
The MP argued that aviation safety cannot improve without transparency and accountability, especially given the government’s recent acquisition of two new helicopters of the same class as the one that crashed. “Without releasing the investigation report, President Ali cannot assure the country that the root causes of the tragedy have been identified, understood, or corrected,” Walton-Desir said. “We do not know whether these new aircraft address systemic weaknesses in maintenance, training, oversight, or operational readiness. We do not know whether the same vulnerabilities persist. Guyana cannot advance aviation safety on secrecy.”
Walton-Desir urged the government to release the final report “immediately,” adding that any genuine national security concerns could be addressed through selective redactions. “But there is no justification, none whatsoever, for concealing the entire report from the nation, from the families, and from the Defence Force itself,” she emphasised.
“Our servicemen gave their lives in service to this nation. Their families deserve closure. The survivors deserve recognition and support. And we, the people of Guyana, deserve to know that the mistakes of the past are not being repeated behind closed doors,” she said. “On a day dedicated to global aviation safety, Guyana must recommit to openness, transparency, and the duty of care we owe to every man and woman who serves.”
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Govt of Guyana is hiding the report because “nothing” was found at fault
by US Investigators ? That is my belief. And leading to “operators-pilot”
fault for the crash…maybe caused by downdraft between valleys in a storm?
And, the Govt. continue to support GDF with more Helicopters, whilst
hiding the crash report from 2 years ago.
Someone in the Govt. could not read and understand the report by US
investigators- so they held back, gathering dust in some cardboard box.
Keep us informed NOW. The family of deceased wants us, the citizen to
know the reason for the crash, or reason for ducking that report.