Mystery shrouds the August Monday landing of a small Cessna 206 aircraft carrying foreign nationals and a local businessman on the Number 63 beach in Berbice, that sparked the ire of the heads of the security forces.
Thus far aviation authorities have been mum on the matter but serious violations occurred as a result of the landing.
Reports are that the aircraft, a Guyanese-owned 6-seater amphibian bearing registration N29PM, landed on the beach some time during the morning hours of August Monday this year.
According to an aviation source, the movement of the United States -registered aircraft breached several air safety and landing regulations, one being that the area was not an approved landing area. It was also noted that the aircraft owner initially sought permission from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to fly into the Skeldon airstrip. (The aircraft is able to land on a waterway and on land)
At the same time the aircraft being foreign registered should not have been allowed to operate into an aerodrome other than the international airport at Timehri or the Ogle airport without prior permission from the GCAA.
Stabroek News understands that the heads of the military forces were upset at the aircraft’s movement and it was noted that the owners of the aircraft had notified the Control Tower at Timehri of the movement. On the day of the flight the company reported to air traffic control that it had approval to operate the aircraft into the beach area from the relevant minister and that any clarifications on the flight should be made with the minister. It was noted that photographs of the plane subsequently caught the attention of the military and immediately sparked interest. Reports are that an investigation into the incident was launched but it is unclear what the outcome was.
Internet databases indicate that the aircraft was registered in Florida to a Guyanese aircraft operator. It was built in 1980 and it is described on the website as a fixed-wing aircraft.
According to an aviation source, the company which owns the aircraft in question had “committed several similar unusual flights” in the past. It was noted that a few years ago, an aircraft owned by the company flew to Skeldon – also on the Corentyne – from Ogle and later that day made an “unusual” cross-country flight from the area to Lethem, in Region 9. The source noted that the movement was one of several flights which the local aviation authorities “knew” about.
Stabroek News obtained a photograph of the aircraft moored alongside the Number 63 beach on August Monday, and a resident in the area stated that the flight seemed strange since she noted that in her 30-odd years living in the area, it was the first time she had witnessed an aircraft landing on the beach. She said that the Corentyne beach stretches from Number 52 village to the Number 63 village area, and she noted that there were several “cross streets which lead to the beach.”
Other residents in the area told Stabroek News that when the aircraft landed on the beach on the day in question, several foreign nationals believed to be Chinese, along with a local businessman emerged from the plane and were later picked up and taken from the area.
A resident told Stabroek News earlier this week that the men seemed in a hurry. She noted that the aircraft remained at the beach for the remainder of the afternoon, and some time later that day it “disappeared.” She said that there were a number of persons at the beach on the day in question as it was a holiday, and she noted that most persons were “given rides with the plane” during the afternoon.
A businessman in the area told Stabroek News recently that there were a number of “foreign persons who would be seen at the beach during the afternoons.” He said that the scenario was not “really noticed at first” since often tourists would travel to and from the beach.
However, recently a number of (description of the foreign nationals) would be seen at the beach, especially on weekend afternoons, and he noted that the recent meeting of President Bharrat Jagdeo with a section of the population in Guyana, “sparked my interest.” While he did not elaborate, the businessman went on to comment that the authorities needed to pay keener interest in protecting the country’s territorial borders.
Venezuelan
fuel-smuggling
at Eteringbang
Meanwhile, Stabroek News understands that there is a “vibrant” fuel-smuggling arrangement in the Arau/ Eteringbang area in Region 7, close to the Venezuelan border. Persons who travelled to the area in recent times told Stabroek News that a number of businesses in the area, mainly mining and some on the coastland are benefiting from the arrangement.
A source at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) told Stabroek News recently that while the situation is not new, there was nothing much the authorities could do to curtail the illegal trade, citing the unavailability of equipment and resources for officers.
A Stabroek News source who travelled to the area recently recalled seeing a Venezuelan helicopter venturing into the mining area and depositing several drums of fuel. Sources also said that a domestic aircraft was involved in transporting fuel from Eteringbang to the mining areas.
Air traffic control sources told Stabroek News that in the past there had been instances when local aircraft operators “would spot Venezuelan helicopters” overflying areas on the Guyana side of the border, noting that the registration markings of such aircraft are clearly visible.
It was noted that checks with their counterparts in Venezuela would reveal that no one in that country knew about such aircraft movement.
Just last week, several Venezuelans were held with guns and ammunition at Eteringbang.
They were charged and one of them pleaded guilty. The man who pleaded guilty told the court that they used the weapons to protect themselves while transporting people.
