Plane crashes at Eterinbang airstrip

A locally-registered twin-engine 10-seater Islander aircraft has reportedly suffered substantial damage after it encountered problems during takeoff at the remote Eteringbang airstrip on Wednesday.
Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, who holds responsibility for the aviation sector, Annette Ferguson, confirmed on Wednesday evening that she was in receipt of a report of an incident at the Eteringbang airstrip but details were still sketchy at the time.
Minister Ferguson told Guyana Times that a team from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)’s investigation department will be heading to the interior location to ascertain the extent and cause of the accident.
Ferguson further stated that according to initial reports, the front wheel of the plane was damaged when it failed to take off from the airstrip.
Guyana Times was reliably informed that the BN2A Islander aircraft encountered technical problems halfway down the airstrip, which was wet at the time due to rainfall.
The plane reportedly failed to takeoff and ended up in a deep ditch at the end of the airstrip.
The incident reportedly occurred around noon on Wednesday.
Sources have since told this publication that the aircraft had overnighted at the Eteringbang airstrip in Guyana’s remote Cuyuni-Mazaruni region, near the Venezuelan border, and was about to takeoff en route to the Eugine F Correia International Airport at Ogle, East Coast Demerara when the unfortunate incident occurred. There are no reported injuries.