Roraima Airways’ trislander aircraft should return to the skies soon, after it was grounded following the crash-landing of another Roraima trislander aircraft last Saturday.
This is according to the Director of External Affairs at Roraima Airways Inc., Wesley Kirton.
Last Saturday, one of the two trislander aircrafts used by Roraima Airways Inc. left Imbaimadai in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) on and was expected to land at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, Ogle, East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
But, due to mechanical difficulties, the plane crash-landed near the Haags Bosch Landfill site, along the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).
Following that incident, it was reported in the Stabroek daily newspaper that the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) decided to ground Roraima Airways’ fleet of Trislanders, pending the investigation into the matter.
On Friday, during a telephone interview with the News Room, Kirton explained that the company only uses two trislander airplanes; one of those airplanes was involved in the forced landing.
The second trislander, Kirton said, was grounded to allow for “routine inspections” after the incident occurred.
But, on Friday, he said: “I don’t think there are now any problems with the issue of the aircraft or the type of aircraft so I expect that the restriction on the use of the aircraft should be lifted shortly.”
Later he said that these restrictions could be lifted in a “matter of days.”
Since the forced landing of the aircraft last Saturday, an investigation has been launched.
On Friday, Director-General of the GCAA Egbert Field told the News Room that the investigation into the crash-landing was still ongoing.
He, however, clarified that it was not a criminal investigation. Instead, he explained that the aim of this investigation was to ascertain what caused the incident and what recommendations can be made to improve safety in the future.
Kirton, on Friday, told the News Room that the company and the pilots were cooperating fully with the investigation.
He, however, related that the pilots’ quick thinking had been praised by the three passengers who were onboard. The three passengers- a man, woman and two-year-old child- nor the two pilots were seriously injured.
James Knight, the male passenger onboard the flights, told the News Room that a disaster was averted due to the pilot’s decision to make the forced landing at the landfill site.
