Based on sightings and the assumption that the missing Air Services Limited (ASL) aircraft was flying its normal route without any malfunctioning, the search and rescue operation has been narrowed down to the Black Water area.
At a press briefing at Timehri, the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) team said that the search in the narrowed down area commenced yesterday.
Missing are the aircraft’s 28-year-old pilot Captain Nicolas `Nicky’ Persaud and 51-year-old cargo handler David Bisnauth, who were onboard when the aircraft vanished without a trace on December 28, two minutes after it left the Mahdia airstrip for Karisparu, in what should have been a 15-minute flight.
According to Guyana Defence Force Major Michael Charles, the initial 10 miles east and 10 miles west along the flight path were narrowed down to a “five miles east to west and 16 miles north to south block, based on the weather and sightings of the aircraft by persons.”
Charles stated that after four days of searching and receiving information, inclusive of information from the Britten Norman Islander’s track spotter, which gives a hit from the satellite every ten minutes, the search was narrowed.
Transport Minister Robeson Benn said that the operation is out of the critical rescue phase, since 72 hours have passed. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the rescue operations continue daily. This was in response to a question from a member of the media as regards when the search was expected to transition from rescue to recovery.
Meanwhile, a release from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) yesterday afternoon said the rescue operation was affected by the weather patterns and treacherous terrain, while noting that the areas being searched are densely forested and mountainous. “The pilots and members of the search and rescue teams rely on satellite weather reports and reports from mining camps to make informed inputs into their search and rescue mission,” the release said.
Responding to a report published in the Stabroek News yesterday in which Bisnauth’s sister Malini accused the authorities of not doing enough, the release said Malini had turned up at ASL’s hangar at Mahdia and demanded his possessions. She was informed by ASL’s manager that the rescue efforts are ongoing and it would only be prudent to hand over any possessions to Bisnauth’s family, after the operations were completed, the release said.
Additionally, it said, the woman’s “aggressive behaviour” caused ASL officials to caution her.
ASL’s Manager Annette Arjoon-Martins, who also spoke at the press briefing yesterday, explained that Malini’s spouse was taken on a flight and had a greater appreciation of the efforts to locate their missing relative. She added that Persaud’s relatives including his father-in-law, who has vast experience in the area, had been actively involved in the rescue operations.
Questioned about the weather conditions at the time the aircraft left the airstrip, Arjoon-Martins declared that Persaud, who has over 8,000 hours of flight time, would not have taken off from Mahdia if the weather conditions were adverse. But she pointed to the “dynamic” weather conditions of Mahdia.
Members of the press were told that the aircraft was transporting 85 lengths of zinc sheets secured by “tie downs,” one small outboard engine, three bags and two boxes.
On December 30, a decision was taken to expand the search for the aircraft in areas including Wineperu, Taffy, Black Water and the Konawaruk River, where eyewitnesses reportedly spotted the aircraft.
It was also reported that the search teams were also equipped with an Emer-gency Locator Transmitter Locator (ELTL) – a tracking device which aids in the detection and location of aircraft.
Arjoon-Martins said the search will continue to locate Persaud and Bisnauth, both of whom she said were not only employees, but family.
