Skyvan engines get close attention
-cockpit recorder sent to US
Miranda La Rose
Stabroek News
November 14, 2003
The engine and various parts of the Skyvan which crashed last Saturday killing two, were removed yesterday from the scene as investigators began the task of ascertaining the plane's failure.
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Trans Guyana Skyvan was also sent overseas yesterday to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, DC.
The two engines will be sent back to the manufacturers for further investigations which will be conducted under the supervision of the NTSB. This was announced by Aviation Inspector, Clifton Bedaysie, the head of the six-member technical team.
Asked whether the two army Skyvans would be grounded in the wake of the crash, Bedaysie said they were still flying. They could only be grounded if it was determined in the findings that the problem was something that might affect all aircraft of that type.
The engines were removed after two representatives of the United Kingdom Aviation Accident Investigating Board (AAIB) inspected the aircraft and its components in the cane field on Wednesday.
The two are senior inspectors of the engineering and operations section of the AAIB, engineers Alan Simmons and Keith Conradi.
The team was due to return to the crash site yesterday afternoon after which it would be turned over to the operators of the aircraft.
Two persons died as a result of the crash and five were hospitalised with the pilot being flown overseas for medical treatment. The aircraft was on its way to Ekereku Bottom in the Upper Mazaruni with mining equipment when it crashed one minute after takeoff.