Crew forced to ditch chopper in Guyana

GEORGETOWN: The two-man crew of a locally assembled helicopter was forced to ditch it on the Liliendaal beach early Monday afternoon after its motor conked out.

The chopper, piloted by GDF Major Michael Charles, came down after experiencing engine failure while heading back to its Good Hope East Coast Demerara (ECD) base following a surveillance of flooded communities. {{more}}

The helicopter, a two-seater Exec 162F built by Rotorway International Guyana, was assembled by local personnel at the IEL site at Good Hope. It has been operating since December 17.

Several persons reported Monday that they had seen the craft flying low along the coast earlier in the day.

An employee of the City Council recalled seeing the craft head east over the ocean when he suddenly heard a loud thump before it disappeared behind the concrete seawall.

He immediately rushed to the scene where he saw one of the pilots already coming out of the downed craft. Another was still seated in the vessel. Neither was injured.

A part of the chopper’s tail had been severed and the craft suffered damage to its landing gear, its main rotor blade, as well as its fibreglass front.

Personnel from the Civil Aviation Authority including its Chairman Brian James were on the scene.

Meanwhile aircraft operating out of the Ogle Aerodrome were diverted to Timehri as rising water levels overwhelmed the airport.