MINISTER of Public Works, Juan Edghill, has ordered a probe into the recent aircraft accidents in the hinterland.
He requested that the investigation be conducted by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), with support from other agencies.
Minister Edghill, in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Friday, said he had also ordered that the airline operators be served with notices of suspension with immediate effect, as two accidents in two days were far too many. This aside, he said he was pleased that no one was seriously injured as a result of the accidents.
“Aviation safety is the number one priority when it comes to operating in the airline industry,” Minister Edghill reasoned.
The first accident occurred on Wednesday, when a Cessna Caravan belonging to Jags Aviation of the BK Group of Companies, ran off the Eteringbang runway in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Then, on Thursday, a similar incident occurred at the Kamarang airstrip due to the disintegration of a Cessna plane’s propeller upon take off, media reports stated. The plane’s private operator was Orlando Charles.
“I’ve asked, and it must be complied with, that whoever is recommended to be the incident/accident investigator must have had no dealings whatsoever with the inspections of these companies’ aircraft. I want to ensure that there is no conflict of interest, and I expect by this afternoon [Friday] to name the incident/accident investigator in keeping with the Civil Aviation Act,” Minister Edghill related.
Referring to the incident at Eteringbang, the minister said that the investigation will have to take a multi-sectoral approach, including assistance from the Guyana Police Force.
The aircraft was found to have been carrying mercury, a restricted substance, for which the aviation service was not authorised to transport. Minister Edghill said the mercury was removed from the aircraft before the inspection was conducted.

“We must be able to confirm how the mercury got on board an aircraft to be transferred to a location, where it was coming from, who were the recipients, why it was removed from the aircraft even before investigations began,” the minister posited.
In relation to the Kamarang accident, the minister said news of a disintegrated propellor is shocking, and begs the question of maintenance.
“So, the officers of the GCAA who were responsible for inspecting and authorising these aircraft to be operated based upon their maintenance and servicing compliance responsibilities would also come up for scrutiny because these are very serious issues.
“Our passengers and Guyanese and foreigners must always feel safe every time they board an aircraft for a destination. And it is the responsibility of the regulatory body, the GCAA to ensure that every air service provider is operating in keeping with the law and is in full compliance,” Minister Edghill said.
To this end, he instructed aerodrome operators to ensure all hinterland aerodromes are safe for landing and take-off. (DPI)