I WOULD first like to begin by stating for the record, “Pilots in Guyana are the backbone of the aviation industry without whom the interior of Guyana would be in most cases inaccessible.” On 29 October, 2018 and 10 March, 2019, the Boeing 737 Max 8 (practically brand new machines) had two catastrophic accidents killing in excess of 300 people.

These accidents have ultimately lead to one of the biggest aviation safety and regulatory faux pas in the history of the aviation business. The Boeing company, a several hundred billion US dollar company which has existed since the end of the first World War, is now under immense scrutiny for several safety violations, among other things. I would like to point out that immediately after these accidents, no statements assigning blame were levied until some some form of competent investigation was completed.

The pilots of these flights were not villified nor thrown under the bus by their companies. They were revered as skilled professionals who were dedicated to their craft. I mention these facts because this was not the case when it came to Captain Randy Joseph Liverpool, who perished in a horrific accident on February 21, 2019. A day which shall always be ingrained in my mind as a pilot and friend of Captain Liverpool. Instead, the Kaieteur newspaper proceeded to use images obtained from a three-second video shot by some civilian in Eteringbang to brutally vilify and tarnish the good name of this amazing aviator. This attack on Captain Liverpool’s character came just a few days after his demise before any competent and comprehensive investigation could have been completed.

The story which was spun by the unqualified and ill-equipped Kaieteur News was further used as a benchmark by governmental bodies and authorities to trump up, what could most likely have been aircraft malfunction, to pilot error. The shocking thing is the company for which Captain Liverpool worked never came out in anyway to even mount a defence of his character, despite Randy single-handedly being responsible for the profitability and viability of the organisation. SHAME ON YOU, Orlando Charles!

Let me side bar and give a brief history of this brilliant aviator. Captain Liverpool came from humble beginnings; he was brilliant, dedicated and hard-working. He worked and made immense sacrifice to attain his pilot’s licences and endorsements.

He was a graduate of the Bishops’ High School and Queens College, who started his aviation career as an air-traffic controller, the most stressful job on the planet. Randy eventually paid his way through his private pilot’s licence course and subsequently gained funding for his commercial course from a private investor. He then made more sacrifices to attain his multi-engine and instrument ratings which involved the selling of his car and other possessions to make the payments necessary to complete his training. This man was dedicated. He finally became commander on the Cessna 206 where he cut his teeth in Guyana’s interior. Most pilots can attest to hearing his piercing voice on the radio communicating his flight plan or joking with colleagues.

Randy loved what he did! So tell me, do you think that any sane person, who had literally sacrificed so much to attain their dreams, would jeopardise their lives and careers? Randy was a meticulous captain, always willing to go the extra mile in the name of safety.

I don’t believe any pilot wakes up and says, “Hey, let me go showboat just for the fun of it,” unless they’re working at an airshow. Pilots are inherently safety conscious, considering all the factors in play before making any decision. Most people believe what is accomplished by aviators is some small fear, but let me clarify — this is far from true.

Everyday when pilots take command of an aircraft they are facing surmountable odds to ensure that their days are completed incident-free. Weather, aircraft malfunctions, fatigue, airspace congestion and passengers among other things are many of the contributing factors that can adversely affect a flight day. Yes, we have done it so many times that it may seem routine, but no flight is exactly the same and risk is always there. Let me highlight some of the unique challenges that Guyanese aviators face daily:

1. Old-model aircraft being pushed to their operational limits, flying many cycles in harsh conditions such as high atmospheric temperatures, high humidity in low- density air doing repetitive up and down heat-cool cycles when shuttling

2. Unpaved and in some cases under-maintained runways

3. Wildlife

4. Single-engine aircraft operating over dense jungle and within mountainous terrain with no clearways or airports in close proximity to be their salvation in case of engine failure

5. Non-radar environment and with minimal navigational aids, where conditions most times warrant instrument flight rules

6. No proper search-and-rescue system in place or reporting stations in case of emergency
I can go on listing other challenges stacked against Guyanese pilots, but I will refrain for the public’s sake. So when a pilot loses his or her life while operating in such harsh conditions, please, I ask that the media, government officials and the general public refrain from trumping it up to the biggest cop-out in aviation — pilot error– before a comprehensive accident investigation and report are accomplished. At no time did anyone in the media do any investigative journalism to find out if the aircraft in question had an accident or incident history in particular electrical malfunctions that could have lead to a fire on board. In addition, did anyone ask how old this aircraft was and what the airframe hours were? How far was it from an engine overhaul or scheduled maintenance? In the years of this type of aircraft operating does any accident mirror this one and what were the root causes or is this an isolated incident meaning more investigation must be done.

I found it in poor taste to have the major thing coming out of this recent accident being a hotline to report any reckless pilot behaviour. Who determines reckless pilot behaviour? The man in the street/bush who has no understanding of aviation operations? Please! Instead of creating a situation for improper information reporting, why don’t we ensure that at all airfields where our military personnel are stationed an adequate first-response team is “prepped” and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

In addition, why not make a new career path in the military as air-traffic control, so soldiers who are at these remote airfields can man radios, collect weather, do traffic control, monitoring, and obtain landing information from pilots. I find it unbelievable that a plane was on fire and no one had a portable fire extinguisher within reach to try and quell the flames; instead, they all had cellphones recording the burning remains of Captain Liverpool.

Before we all become tattle tales, why don’t we create rules to govern shuttling, whereby aircraft engaged in these activities have to come under much more stringent maintenance checks at greater frequency to account for the very harsh operating conditions (high heat, humidity, low-density altitude, high- frequency, heat-cool cycles) and higher human-factor minimums to govern pilot fatigue. This would give a better chance for any engine stresses to be identified before it’s too late and pilots operating within their physical limits.

Ethiopian Airlines remains a brilliant example of a supportive and world-class organisation from their handling of the 737 accident. They first of all stood behind their crew, giving them the benefit of the doubt until any reports coming out through thorough investigation were completed. They then worked with the manufacturer to find what could have been the root cause from a mechanical view. One thing that is evident from these accidents, is that there must be clear distance between regulatory bodies and the entities they regulate to ensure integrity is upheld throughout.

In closing, it is the intention of this article to provoke some thought by the regulatory body, the governing powers, the operators, their agents and the media. Let us all do our part in ensuring that we develop a safe aviation environment through positive and constructive actions. Kaieteur News, do the right thing and retract your ill-informed statements about Captain Liverpool and offer his family a written apology. Randy, forever rest well and God’s speed on your journey.

John Public Aviator