The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has confirmed that members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Special Forces have successfully reached the crash site of the Air Services Limited Cessna 208 aircraft with registration number 8R-YAC.
The team recovered the body of Capt. Ryder Castillo and is currently making preparations for extraction from the site.
“The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and the Guyana Defence Force, join the wider aviation community in extending their heartfelt sympathies to the loved ones of the pilot,” the GCAA stated in a release.
The missing ASL Cessna Caravan, 8R-YAC, went down on Friday after taking off from Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni). It was reported that the single-engine Cessna aircraft was being operated by a Nicaraguan national, Captain Castillo, who has approximately 20 years of flying experience.
He was the sole occupant on board and had been employed with ASL for about a decade.
According to reports, the aircraft departed Mahdia at approximately 08:10h on a cargo shuttle flight bound for Imbaimadai, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), with an expected arrival time of 08:40h. However, it failed to report its arrival, prompting a flight progress check at 08:44h.
At the time, weather conditions in the area were reportedly poor, with heavy rainfall and reduced visibility. The GCAA swiftly responded to the incident, initiating protocols for a missing aircraft involving a Cessna 208 operating along the Mahdia-Imbaimadai route.
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