GCAA investigators to visit Aricheng for crash probe

Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) investigators are scheduled to visit Aricheng, in Region Seven on Monday as a part of their investigation of the crash that took place on Thursday, according Director General Egbert Field.

Field told Stabroek News that during the visit to village, investigators will look at the crash site in a bid to gather data to determine what caused the crash.

He noted that during the course of next week, investigators will also question Captain Bernard Singh, the pilot of the crashed aircraft.

The Director General explained that Singh, after being rescued, was admitted to a city hospital. Field explained that investigators have not been able to speak with him since the accident and as a result have not yet been able to establish what occurred.

The GCAA on Thursday morning said that the pilot crashed just after taking off from Aricheng. The crash occurred shortly

after a 7.53 am takeoff for Ekereku Top.

A Special Forces Squad of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on Thursday afternoon rescued Singh, who was found with lacerations about his body among the debris of the Piper PA-31 aircraft in the jungle.

The 31-member Special Forces squad, which formed the search and rescue team, arrived at the location from where the emergency locator signal was sent off.

Following the crash, Air Traffic Services at Timehri confirmed that an emergency locator signal was received from Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT). The location was confirmed to be 2.71 Nautical Miles Northwest of the Aricheng aerodrome.

Singh was found with cuts and bruises about his body and was given a medical checkup by the medic on the team. He and the team flew out to the coast just after 4 pm, and he was taken to a medical institution for further treatment.

At the time of crash, Singh was the lone occupant of the aircraft, which carried the registration number 8R-HAI belonging to Capt. Orlando Charles, who operates Domestic Airways.