Latest update October 18th, 2026 10:40 AM
Single-engine GDF chopper barred from reaching MV Barima disaster site
…restricted to coastal searches, regulations ruled out offshore operations
(Kaieteur News) – The Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the MV Barima tragedy heard testimony on Thursday detailing how safety regulations and mechanical limitations prevented a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopter from reaching the immediate search area during the crucial early hours following the vessel’s distress call.
Testifying before the Commission, GDF Air Corps pilots revealed that the GDF Bell 407 helicopter, the second aircraft dispatched from Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle following reports of the disaster, was restricted to inland and coastal surveillance due to its single-engine configuration.
Chief Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Anson Weekes of the GDF Air Corps, provided a detailed timeline of the military’s response. He testified that just after midnight on Sunday, July 19, 2026, he was alerted to distress reports regarding the MV Barima by Lieutenant Joslyn Assanah, Commanding Officer of the Air Corps.
Hon Major Melissa Stewart Yearwood, Guyana Defence Force Legal Officer and Lieutenant Colonel Anson Weekes (l-r)
By 1:45 AM, Lieutenant Colonel Weekes, Captain Andio Crawford, and a drone crew departed Ogle aboard the Bell 407, landing at Hampton Court on the Essequibo Coast at 2:15 AM. The specific coordinates of the distressed vessel were transmitted to the crew while they were en route.
After dropping off the drone team at Hampton Court, Lieutenant Colonel Weekes was instructed to conduct an aerial reconnaissance along the coastline to look for survivors. However, civil aviation safety protocols barred the single-engine Bell 407 from flying out to sea over open water, particularly during nighttime operations.
“No, I could not,” Lieutenant Colonel Weekes testified when asked if he could fly to the target site offshore. “The Bell 407 is essentially a single-engine helicopter, and civil aviation regulations would have prohibited me from flying first at night and then there is a prohibition of single-engine [aircraft] operating offshore as well.”
Using the aircraft’s searchlight, Lieutenant Colonel Weekes conducted flights between Hampton Court and the Pomeroon River, but the initial sweep yielded no results. “Nothing fruitful came out of the reconnaissance in the sense that we were not able to see anything on the ground of substance even with the aircraft searchlight installed,” he told the tribunal.
During cross-examination by Counsel Arudranauth Gossai regarding the aircraft’s inability to fly directly to the disaster site, Captain Andio Crawford explained the operational barrier: “Sir, it was a single-engine aircraft.” Captain Crawford noted, “We saw the limitation of the aircraft, we were unable to enter into the search area.”
Captain Andio Crawford
With the GDF Bell 407 constrained to coastal sweeps and a GDF Skyvan (Highlander) being prepped, military commanders integrated private and regional aviation assets capable of offshore operations to reach the target zone.
By sunrise on July 19, Lieutenant Colonel Weekes was instructed to coordinate offshore search-and-rescue efforts with a twin-engine aircraft from Omni Helicopters Guyana Inc. Despite conducting two rounds of aerial searches in the disaster zone, no survivors were spotted.
Later that afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel Weekes returned to Ogle, where the Colonel General Staff directed him to coordinate additional reconnaissance with the Regional Security System (RSS). An RSS aircraft deployed from Barbados arrived on the evening of July 19, conducted a search sweep of the maritime area, and returned to base after reporting no sightings of survivors.
In the Weekes following the initial response, between July 20 and August 2, 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Weekes conducted approximately 10 coastal surveillance flights off the Essequibo Coast. During those subsequent operations, the remains of one victim were spotted and recovered.
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