Search and rescue for GDF helicopter with 7 occupants resumes on Thursday

Last Updated on Wednesday, 6 December 2023, 21:47 by Denis Chabrol

The search and rescue operation for a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopter, with seven officers aboard, would resume on Thursday because extremely bad weather over the rugged area prevented soldiers from spotting the aircraft on Wednesday, Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan said.

“Those efforts in the area and the use of the two aircraft did not yield what we were looking forward because of the bad weather conditions,” he told a news briefing. He said the intention was to insert troops into the forest canopy to look for the aircraft and its occupants.

He declined to speculate about the cause of the incident that occurred over a densely forested and mountainous area about 30 miles from Arau nearer Guyana’s border with Venezuela. Asked specifically whether he could say with certainty that Venezuela had shot down the helicopter, he said, “We have no information to suggest that because we also have rescue mission in the same area. We had two aircraft flying in that same area,” he said. According to the army chief, the GDF had no information about Venezuelan aircraft having been seen in the area.

He said a decision to go to the area was based on a “map analysis of our flight route” and the safety of that flight.

He acknowledged that the disappearance of the chopper has generated “additional anxiety” in clear reference to the rising tension between Guyana and Venezuela.

Google Earth shows the heavily forested and mountainous area is about 2,300 feet high. Brigadier Khan said the area is not inhabited by anyone and is not accessible by foot or the rescue team would have already embarked on the journey to the site of the Bell 412 that was acquired in July, 2023.

In addition to the pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, a veteran aviator with 40 years experience, the other occupants were Commanding Officer of the 1st Infantry Battalion, Colonel Michael Shahoud, Commanding; Retired Brigadier Gary Beaton, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome, Staff Sergeant Jason Khan, Lieutenant Colonel Andio Michael Crawford and Corporal, Dwayne Jackson

He said the helicopter, bearing registration marking 8R-AYA, was on a command mission under the command of Colonel Shahoud to “visit our troops on the western border.”  He said the aircraft landed at Bullet Creek and refueled and shortly after take-off  communication contact was lost, and an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was triggered. “On receipt of that ELT signal, it activated our analysis We attempted to make contact with aircraft and no communication was obtained,” he said.

The GDF Chief-of-Staff said he updated “our partners” including the United States, Brazil and the Regional Security System about the search and rescue mission. “Tomorrow, we’ll see additional assets being deployed as is necessary….We’ll have it from our partners,” he said.