He said the aircraft was examined by GCAA officials on Saturday, but it is too early to disclose what might have been the reason for the crash. He said investigations will resume early today.
The plane, he noted, will again be inspected and once all the questions would have been answered, a report will be made known to the public. As of now, with the little information at their disposal, no pronouncement will be made as to who have erred.
Investigators
Mohammed said his team of investigators will meet with the pilot of the aircraft today as they have not had the opportunity to speak with him.
Guyana Times understands that the Cessna 206 registered to Fenix Airways was given clearance by the OAI control tower to take off, but failed in its bid.
This publication was also told that investigators are exploring the possibility that the aircraft might have been overladen when it took off.
According to the airline’s Administration and Finance Manager Eddie Soolal, the pilot Raul Seecharran and passenger Zorena Alli were discharged from the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital, and pregnant Shenika Munroe remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Soolal added that the company is making sure that the patient received the best medical attention, pointing out that her health has not deteriorated. He explained that she is expected to be discharged today.
Compensation
The official added that the company has not decided on compensation just yet, reiterating that the passengers involved did not receive serious injuries.
However, he noted that with the aircraft now down, the company’s services to the interior will be affected.
He also confirmed that the aircraft was fully insured by an insurance company in England and is also covered by Caricom Insurance Company in Guyana.
Soolal said once the local insurance company investigates and sends its findings to the overseas company, it will in turn refund the airline.
The finance manager also told Guyana Times that he did not speak with the pilot to get a firsthand insight as to what might have went wrong.
“He was hospitalised so we didn’t want to push the issue… we know that he is traumatized.”
The accident occurred about 09:30h while the aircraft, with registration number 8-RMML, was taking off from the western end of the runway.
Soon after takeoff, the vehicle landed obliquely opposite the control tower, veered off the runway, flipped and ended up on its back.
This is the first plane crash for 2014, but the GCAA has been conducting investigations into a number of mishaps during 2013.
In April last, the founder of Angiel Enviro Safe Incorporated, Pierre Angiel, 71, of Miami, Florida, U.S.A. and crew member Nick Dmitriev, 54, of Toronto, Canada, met their demise after a Piper Aztec twin-engine aircraft crashed into a house at Plaisance, East Coast Demerara and exploded minutes after it took off from the OIA.
It was reported that prior to the crash, the pilot had reported to the air traffic control tower at Ogle that he had “lost an engine” and was encountering difficulties.
Moments later, a loud explosion was heard in the East Coast Demerara village as the aircraft crashed into the three-bedroom wooden house that subsequently went up in flames.
Mechanical problems
From all indications, the plane may have encountered mechanical problems upon taking off, resulting in the pilot losing control of the aircraft.
In July, an Air Services Limited Cessna Caravan plane crashed in the vicinity of the manganese company in Matthews Ridge, North West District, leaving at least eight people hospitalized.
The injured persons, including the pilot of the aircraft, Feriel Ally, were air-dashed to the city by a Trans Guyana aircraft and taken to several private medical institutions in the city.
The accident occurred in proximity to the Matthews Ridge airstrip. Initial reports stated that bad weather might have been responsible for the crash.
Also in July, heavy wind flipped a single-engine aircraft at the OIA. The winds were recorded travelling at a speed of 35 knots per hour, a very unusual occurrence.
The hydrometeorological office after the incident confirmed that the maximum wind speed recorded thus far is 43 knots per hour.
The last time Guyana experienced such heavy winds was four years ago at Timehri, when the wind speed was clocked at 32 knots per hour.
In August, five persons were injured after an aircraft crash landed at the Aishalton runway in Region Nine after its front wheel came off.
The six-seater American- operated Cessna came to a halt after it hit the runway fence. No one was injured in the incident. The aircraft was under the control of an American pilot at the time.
In addition, another Air Services Limited aircraft suffered wing damage after swerving to avoid hitting someone as it was about to land at the Kwakwani airstrip, Region 10.
This occurred in November 2013. It was reported that a young man allegedly ran across the airstrip just as the pilot, who was conducting a training flight, was about to land. As a result, the right wing tip of the 8RA55 aircraft was damaged.
Meanwhile, on July 30, 2011, a Caribbean Airlines plane crashed and broke in two on landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). The Boeing 737-800 from New York had 163 people aboard.
During the incident, a few passengers sustained bruises, with one suffering a broken leg. The plane halted near a 61-metre (200 feet) ravine that could have resulted in dozens of deaths.
The final report has dismissed allegations made by Trinidadian officials that the airport was the root cause of the accident.
Source: http://www.guyanatimesgy.com
Cessna 206, Fenix Airways Inc., 8R-MML
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