Investigators find… Engine failure caused fatal crash of Cessna last January

CAPTAIN Blake Slater and loader Dwayne Jacobs, victims of the fatal aircraft crash near Olive Creek Region 7 (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) last year January, lost their lives due to engine failure of the ill-fated Cessna 208B Grand Caravan.Minister of Public Works Mr. Robeson Benn said that this was a critical finding of the investigations into the crash.

He said that a report on the tragedy will be released to the public shortly.
Mr. Zulfikar Mohamed, Director of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, disclosed that the fact of engine failure was determined by a team of investigators in Canada who had done an analysis of components of the aircraft sent to them by the GCAA.

Mohamed said that the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) of the USA, the Caribbean Aviation and Safety Oversight System (CASSOS), the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Suriname (CASAS), Cessna, the aircraft manufacturer and the engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney had all been integrally involved in the investigations into the fatal crash.

He said that the engine manufacturer, Canadian Pratt and Whitney, had since issued an airworthiness directive which is intended to eliminate the possibilities of the type of engine failure which caused the crash and the death of the two men.

The Cessna Caravan 8R-GHS Flight 700 operated by Trans-Guyana Airways was at the time on a shuttle operation carrying fuel between Olive Creek and Imbaimadai, also in Region 7 (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) with Canadian-born Slater as pilot and loader Dwayne Jacobs on board.

The aircraft departed Olive Creek on January 18 at 10.54 hrs.
Captain Slater made the emergency Mayday Mayday call two minutes later at 10.56hrs, then his radio went dead.

The crash site was located by Guyana Defence Force Special Forces officers on January 20.

They found that the aircraft had impacted wooded terrain in the vicinity of Olive Creek. It was damaged beyond repair and both Slater and Jacobs had suffered fatal injuries.

The bodies were extricated and flown to Georgetown the following day January 21, 2014.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.