The Guyana government has received a copy of the report on last month’s Fly Jamaica crash landing incident at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Minister of State Joseph Harmon has said.
The plane, carrying 118 passengers and eight crew members, was forced to land on November 9 minutes after it had taken off for Canada.
The plane had on board 35 Guyanese, one Trinidadian, 82 Canadians, one Pakistani and 11 American citizens.
Six passengers suffered minor injuries and were treated at hospital. An elderly woman later died. Harmon said that the Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson had presented the report to Cabinet on Friday.
“Cabinet noted the report and expressed the wish that those persons injured would receive a speedy recovery,” he said.
In November, Patterson told the National Assembly that the pilot did not declare an emergency and that the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) was conducting an independent investigation into the Fly Jamaica flight OJ256 crash landing.
He told legislators that it was reported to air traffic control that there was a hydraulic issue and the flight to Canada would return.
The minister said crash tenders were immediately deployed to the runway and standby mode activated and that the site was secured by officers from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Harmon said that the country’s image had been tarnished amid allegations that members of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) had allegedly stolen personal items when they first arrived on the scene.
He described the action as “reprehensible.” Four GFS officers are due to return to court on December 12 in connection with the theft.
They were released on GUY$100,000 (One Guyana dollar=US$0.04 cents) bail.
Minister Patterson, Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lt. Col. Egbert Field and other officials were at the CJIA immediately following the incident.
