GCAA still probing fuel starvation in crash-landing of Roraima plane

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) probe into what caused the fuel starvation that resulted in a Roraima Airways’ BrittenNorman Trislander aircraft crash-landing at Eccles, East Bank Demerara last month, is still ongoing, Director General Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Egbert Field has said.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport commissioning of its extended runway and Instrument Landing System on Sunday, Field said “We did find it was starvation of fuel. As to what led to that starvation it is still under investigation.”

He noted that with the probe still ongoing, he was not in the position to comment further.

Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill previously told this newspaper fuel starvation was suspected to be the main contributor in the crash-landing.

Roraima Airways owner

Captain Gerry Gouveia, when contacted, said from checks, the aircraft had about 40 minutes of fuel left. He declined to comment further on the investigation.

Fuel starvation is described as the failure of the fuel system to supply adequate fuel to allow the engine to run properly, for example due to blockage, malfunction of the pump or a vapour lock, leading to loss of power or engine stoppage.

The plane crash-landed in the vicinity of the Haags Bosch landfill facility on the East Bank of Demerara, raising concerns about what might have gone wrong and the extremely close shave for the two crew and three passengers, one of whom sustained injuries. There were two adult passengers and a two-year-old child.

The aircraft was forced to crash-land in a swamplike area after it reportedly experienced difficulties. The crash-landing of the Britten-Norman Trislander bearing registration No. 8R GRE occurred at around 11.30 am as the aircraft was en route to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, Ogle. It had departed Imbaimadai in Region Seven, around 10.20 am.