A new anomaly has been identified from aerial photographs in the area where a US-registered aircraft went missing almost two months ago and a ground crew is making its way to the identified area, according to Vice President, Investor Relations of U3O8 Corp, Nancy Chan-Palmateer.
However, Chan-Palmateer cautioned that the crew may take several days to reach the latest area of interest given the challenging terrain and the think jungle cover. She said that they have to cut through the bush every step of the way from the nearest accessible part of the area, and search around that area to ensure that they get to the exact location shown on the photograph.
“It is premature to know what this anomaly may be until the field team reaches the area, although we hope and pray that we will find something soon,” she told Stabroek News via email on Saturday. She pointed out that over the course of the search effort a number of anomalies were detected through the aerial images and ground crews have investigated each one but to date there has been no positive result.
Meanwhile, Captain Gerry Gouveia yesterday told Stabroek News that in association with US-based pilot, Miles Williams, he had identified an anomaly. It is not clear if it is the same one Chan-Palmateer referred to, and he suggested that a helicopter should be used by one of the companies with whom the aircraft was attached to check it out.
Dynamic Aviation had used an aircraft equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to take specialized photographs of the area and according to Gouveia the photographs which were of high probability areas were also placed on a specialized website, internetsar.com, developed for that purpose.
He described the developing of the website as a “very innovative way of conducting search and rescue” as persons around the world can view the photographs.
The company then sent a website link to various pilots to view and according to Gouveia he requested photographs of a particular area of probability he had previously identified. He said the photographs, which were super-imposed on Google Earth, were analysed by Williams and an anomaly was identified.
The plane went missing in late October and after fifteen days of searching the Guyana government called off the quest stating that the three occupants must be presumed to have perished. However, the three companies with whom the men on the plane were employed will continue the search.
Americans James Wesley Barker, 28, and Chris Paris, 23, the Captain and First Officer, respectively, along with Canadian Patrick Murphy, a geophysics technician were on board the plane. The aircraft was chartered from Dynamic Aviation Inc by Terraquest Ltd to conduct geophysical surveys on behalf of Prometheus Resources (Guyana) Inc, a subsidiary of the Toronto-based U3O8 Corporation.
The aircraft was scheduled to operate in the Chi Chi-Imbaimadai area in the Cuyuni following which it was expected to have returned to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.
