Two Americans, one Canadian on board
Aerial searches yesterday failed to yield any sign of the US-registered plane that disappeared on Saturday, with two Americans and a Canadian onboard who were conducting geophysical surveys for a Canadian mining company in the Cuyuni area.
The company’s permanent base camp at Aricheng Airstrip.
The aircraft, a Beech King Air, last made contact with the Control Tower at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri at 3:06pm on Saturday to report that they were commencing normal operations over the survey area. On board were pilot, Captain James Wesley Barker, 28, and First Officer Chris Paris, 23, both US citizens and Canadian Patrick Murphy, a Geophysics technician.
Intermittent bad weather yesterday hampered the search for several hours. Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Air-Corp and Special Forces are leading the search operation with two British helicopters also involved along with five other planes.
The Beech King Air, N87V, was chartered from Dynamic Aviation Inc. by Terraquest Ltd to conduct geophysical surveys on behalf of Prometheus Resources (Guyana) Inc. The survey area is in the west sector of Guyana in the vicinity of Chi Chi, Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni).
A release from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) last night said that the aircraft departed Timehri at 2:14pm Saturday and last reported over the survey area commencing normal operations at 3:06pm. No further reports were received from the aircraft.
The GCAA said that search protocols were activated and the Rescue Coordination Centre became operational. “Air Traffic Control alerted other aircraft in the vicinity to try to establish contact with the Beechcraft but this was unsuccessful”, the release said. The US MCC Southern Command was also contacted for any reports of emergency distress signals emanating from the area but none was received.
The aviation authority said that due to the terrain and weather in the area it was not possible to commence a night search so arrangements were put in place to commence the search and operation early yesterday. The search operation is being coordinated by the Air Navigation Services of the GCAA with the GDF Air Corps and Special Forces conducting the actual search using their aircraft along with two British helicopters currently involved in training with the GDF.”These aircraft are supported by two aircraft chartered by GCAA from Air Services Limited and two private aircraft operated by Mr. Bernard Singh and GAMAS respectively”, the statement said adding that another aircraft currently engaged in similar geophysical survey and operated by Mc Par Geophysics is also assisting in the search operation.
Imbaimadai in Region Seven has been established as the field base for the operation with fuel and equipment flown there. The GCAA said that the aircraft were in the area conducting a systematic search of the survey area but no positive information was received. Due to low cloud coverage, the agency said, the aircraft were forced to land at Imbaimadai and remained on the ground for a while with operations recommencing at 3 pm yesterday, following which some of the aircraft returned to Timehri and Ogle.
However, the two British helicopters remained there checking with villagers for any information pertaining to the missing plane while “some aircraft will remain in the general area overnight and will recommence operations in the morning”, according to the GCAA.
Earlier yesterday, Director of Civil Aviation, Zulficar Mohamed had told Stabroek News that the GDF-led search party had not spotted the plane and due to the bad weather during parts of yesterday the search party had to wait some hours. Mohamed said that members of the party went into villages with the aim of garnering information.
A press release from the police on Saturday evening had said that the twin-engine aircraft, which is white in colour with red stripes, had departed Timehri to conduct a survey in the Cuyuni area just after 2pm on Saturday and was expected to return at around 6:15 the said day, but failed to do so.
Uranium
Prometheus Resources (Guyana) Inc is a subsidiary of the Toronto-based U308 Corporation, whose Vice-President, Nancy Chan-Palmateer confirmed to this newspaper that they had contracted Terraquest Ltd to do a geophysical survey in Guyana. While she confirmed that three persons were on board the aircraft she was unable to give any further details.
According to Terraquest Ltd’s website the company specializes in airborne geophysical surveys, geophysical consulting, data interpretation, enhancement and modeling.
Meanwhile, U308 Corporation is described on its website as a Canadian junior mineral exploration company based in Toronto, Canada. The company said that it is currently focused on uranium exploration in Guyana with its primary business objective being to acquire and explore, with the intent of developing, mineral resource properties.
It said that, to date, its subsidiary, Prometheus Resources (Guyana) Inc, has been granted two Reconnaissance Permits, the CM Permit (Permit A) and the PMCR Permit (Permit B), by the Guyana Geological and Mines Commission (GGMC) to conduct geological and geophysical surveys on adjacent lands covering an area of approximately 1.33 million hectares in Western Guyana.
“The CM Permit (Permit A) provides Prometheus Resources Guyana Inc. with the right to occupy the CM Area for three years commencing November 28th, 2005 in order to conduct geological and geophysical surveys for radioactive minerals and rare earth elements, which include uranium,” the company said on its website.
It said that Permit A grants the company the right to apply for, and be granted by the GGMC, “up to 15 prospecting licenses (each consisting of areas of approximately 202 hectares to approximately 4,856 hectares) for radioactive minerals and rare earth elements, provided that it has satisfied the requirements of the Permit and the GGMC.”
And as for Permit B it gives the company the right to “occupy the PMCR Area for three years commencing May 31, 2006 in order to conduct geological and geophysical surveys for radioactive minerals and rare earth elements, which include uranium.”
This permit gives the company “the right to apply for, and be granted by the GGMC, up to 20 prospecting licences (each consisting of areas of approximately 4,856 hectares) for radioactive minerals and rare earth elements, provided that it has satisfied the requirements of the Permit and the GGMC.”
Many aviation incidents, including the April 25 crash near Kopinang in Region Eight last year have raised the issue of Guyana not having proper search and rescue facilities.
The plane has to be in an area that is surrounded with overgrown vegetation. We shouldn’t give up on hope though….many have been in worse situations and have come out alive.
……what happen with gps……people working under these condition can be monitered with all the time…….was it ineffect……..gps phone!!……i am sure they have cell phone too……
I always wondered why these planes do not carry a great big bolt of orange colored cloth, and in case of an emergency just let it out to leave a visible trail.
Now I am no aviation expert, so feel free to let me know if it is a dumb idea or not.
Joe.
Sandhurst check this out, I posted a blog regarding this article and the moderator in Gt refused to publish it and I think it is because the truth hurts.
Gt is getting really rough. Are you married ? Hit me back send me your email address so I can chat with you.
Hope the weather would permit better searches today, and the aircraft located crash landed in a savannah with all’s well.
All is well with the 3 poeple in the plane or the search party?
I hope we can find the three men safely,these Guys are pro and are train for these emergency,I am optimistic there will be found in good health.
I hope you are right. We are all in prayer here at the pilots home town. We are so far away that we feel all we can do is pray that God’s will be done. Please pray with us.
HOPING THESE MEN WILL BE FOUND ALIVE AND WELL, BY GOD’S GRACE.
I never knew there was a company searching for Uranium in Guyana.
Well now we both know, seems like it was a secret, but the cat is out the bag.
The dense vegetation & canopy may hamper visibility from aerial searches. Ground troops may be required.
You are right Fulano,but which troops GDF or British soldiers?
Thank goodness those British Troops with their support “helicopters” that are currently in Guyana to aid in any “vertical insertion” and “extraction” of military and medical personnel in the absence of adequate take-off and landing facilities given the dense jungle that comprise most of Guyana’s interior locations
Hope the weahter would permit too for the search to be sucessful..
sandhurst first,
you are right,
Eloise,
I did not mean to take you lightly, I was just poking some fun at my friend Carl Veecock, Keep those books you have on bamboo buidings,
Here is my email, When you go back to Guyana, I will come visit you one of these good days.
joe.coxall@verizon.net
Pray for them all
It is time that we all join together in prayers for the entire world indtead of attacking each other mankind does not realize that a message is being sent from a higher level. we have to come together as one to eliminate all evel. I do hope for the best for those people.
I notice from the report that there was no local personnel aboard the flight. Being very familiar with what is involved in these kinds of exercises I will posit that if there was someone on board who knows the terrain and the weather conditions prevailing we might not be even reading this account. I have always advised against pilots flying in our interior without the requisite knowledge and experience which one can only gain after flying and learning from someone who knows. I hope they are found.
These were not your average pilots. They had been flying down there before. Planes like that are also equiped with equipment called radio altimeters. This could very well have been a failure of power or loss of control. These are hard time for the families and all we can do is wish the best for the 3 on board