IT has been confirmed that a Canadian pilot, who also holds a Guyanese passport, and a Guyanese resident are missing after the Cessna aircraft in which they were travelling fell out of the sky.

The craft, a Cessna Caravan belonging to local domestic carrier, Trans Guyana Airways, is suspected to be lying in dense forest in hilly Cuyuni-Mazaruni area of Region Seven.

It reportedly went down sometime after 10:00hrs shortly after take-off from the Olive Creek area where it was based. It was also confirmed that the craft was ferrying cargo, but what was not specified.

The name of the missing pilot has been given as Blake Slater, while the other missing person has ben listed as a Cargo Loader.

Representatives of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and other agencies which form the Emergency Rescue Operation Team quickly mobilized and, within hours of the incident, briefed the media at a press conference held at the Command Centre at Timehri, in the presence of Transport Minister, Robeson Benn.

A member of the team confirmed that the aircraft had been shuttling between Imbaimadai and Olive Creek, and because of the location of its operation, it was difficult for the tower to pick up its radio communication. However, in such cases, pilot would communicate with their companies, which are mandated to immediately communicate with the tower at Timehri whatever was communicated by the pilot.

In yesterday’s case, it was reported that the pilot had indicated that he was experiencing difficulties and that the aircraft was going down. That transmission was picked up by another aircraft operating close by, and based on the information given by the pilot who called in distress, the other craft immediately diverted to the area, but could not find any sign of the distressed craft.

Another aircraft also departed Ogle to render assistance, according to its fuel resources, but nothing was spotted.

The media was told that while the craft’s exact crash position was unclear, it could be surmised from its flying position at the time of the incident, based on the latitude reported by the pilot when he called in distress; and that is also being added to the elapsed time between the craft’s take off and its transmission of distress.

Based on calculations, seven minutes after the plane had taken off, its call of distress was made.

The two planes which were diverted to undertake the initial search were assisted by a chopper from the Guyana Defence Force and one from Air Services Limited. Moreover, the Guyana Defence Force had mustered men on the ground, awaiting word on when to venture further into the jungle to pinpoint or locate the craft and those on board.

The rescue team also questioned several persons in the Olive Creek and other areas whether they had heard or seen anything that might be useful to the search. That information would do a great deal to assist the team to determine where exactly the craft might have gone down.

Because of the area where the craft went down, the rescue team was asked about the possibility of its occupants remaining alive and making it to a populated area; and team members indicated that should the two men be alive, their first sighting of a populated area would be approximately ten to fourteen miles from where the craft is suspected to have gone down.

It was, however, pointed out that both the area and the terrain would prove difficult for persons on the ground to see what was transpiring above, and it would likewise be hard for airborne rescuers to see what is happening below. It was therefore highlighted that, in similar operations, rescuers would be forced to rappel and move in on foot to get to the exact location of crash sites, because of the mountainous areas.

The Rescue Centre made it clear that because it would not risk the lives of the rescuers, night searches can only be conducted based on the information provided, and even then there would be limitations.

The first criteria that would facilitate night search is the information received with respect to the location of crash sites, and those searches at night would be conducted only by those on foot, since the choppers cannot effectively carry out such searches. The underlying factor prohibiting aerial searches is the terrain and the ability of the pilots to navigate at night in such rugged terrain.

The rescue team would not divulge the identities of the men in the distressed aircraft until their exact situations have been determined, including their state of health and the fate of the aircraft.

However, it was pointed out that the pilot had to be experienced, since he would have had to complete a minimum of 200 hours of flying in similar areas and under supervision. The Rescue Team was also reluctant to consider that the aircraft might perhaps not have been airworthy.

Head of the GCAA pointed out that at the end of each day’s work, pilots are mandated to complete a log which asks detailed questions about any problem encountered during flight. The log is then reviewed, and once there has been a problem, the plane does not get off the ground until that problem has been satisfactorily addressed.

Meanwhile, reports at press time was that there has been no sighting of the missing aircraft, despite its being outfitted with all of the appropriate emergency equipment, including an Emergency Locator Beacon.
A check with the US Mission Control Centre (USMCC), from whence information concerning aircraft ELT signals are transmitted, has confirmed that they have not been in receipt of any signal from the missing aircraft’s beacon.
According to a release from the GCAA, the search was called off at 1800hrs due the poor lighting, but will resume tomorrow at 0630hrs. In the interim, an aircraft was scheduled to be deployed to overfly the area of interest during the course of the night to look for any signs of the missing aircraft.

Search and Rescue Units, two helicopters and an Islander and a Cessna Caravan and the GDF Special Force Officers will continue with the search operation today, commencing from an area identified as the area of interest.
Additional personnel will also be deployed from the coast to assist with the search.
Written By Leroy Smith