Rescue teams to resume search today as tough terrain hinders efforts – ASL plane crash

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has confirmed that an accident investigator in charge, along with a team of trained investigators, has been dispatched to the crash site of an Air Services Limited (ASL) aircraft in the vicinity of Imbaimadai. On Saturday evening, the GCAA said the public utilities and aviation minister has identified the lead investigator to head the response team. The investigators are working alongside other agencies as part of the ongoing response operation. The Search and Rescue Coordination Centre remains fully operational and continues to provide logistical and operational support to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and all other agencies involved in the operation.

Pilot Captain Ryder Castello, a Nicaraguan national, was the only person onboard at the time of the crash. Reports are that the plane was heading to Imbaimadai, Region Seven (Cuyuni–Mazaruni). GCAA said the crashed aircraft is located on a steep escarpment, with dense tropical vegetation and rugged terrain significantly impeding both ground and air access. The GCAA said recovery efforts are being heavily affected by these conditions. The Director General of the GCAA, Egbert Field, and the Chief of Staff of the GDF, Omar Khan, along with senior members of the GDF hierarchy, have been fully briefed and are receiving continuous updates on developments on the ground. The Authority said all relevant agencies remain engaged and are overseeing a coordinated national response.
GDF special forces personnel are working to establish a viable access route to the crash site, which authorities say remains difficult to reach. The GCAA said the matter is being treated with urgency and seriousness. The aircraft involved is a single-engine Cessna 206, registered 8R-YAC, operated by Air Services Limited. It is reported that the pilot, Nicaraguan national Captain Ryder Castello, was the sole occupant and is feared dead. The flight departed Mahdia at approximately 08:10h on Friday on a cargo shuttle bound for Imbaimadai, with an expected arrival time of 08:40h. A flight progress check was initiated at 08:44h after the aircraft failed to report its arrival.

The GCAA said it initiated protocols for a missing aircraft involving a Cessna 208 operating along the Mahdia–Imbaimadai route, while search and rescue efforts ultimately focused on the suspected crash of the ASL aircraft. Weather conditions at the time were reportedly poor, with heavy rainfall and reduced visibility.
Search efforts led to the visual identification of the suspected crash site by aircraft from Trans Guyana Airways and a Britten-Norman Islander. Following this, a GDF rescue team comprising special forces and medical personnel was deployed to the location. However, the team has not yet reached the crash site. The National Security Advisor to the President, Gerry Gouveia, said the terrain has slowed progress.
“[They have] not [reached the crash site] as yet. They are still there and still working on it. It is really, really tough terrain and very dangerous, so they are bucking in there for the night and will begin again in the morning. The helicopters have deposited them in there; now it’s for them to get to the crash site. They are not far away, but because of the terrain, they have not reached the site yet,” Gouveia explained. He added that the team is expected to resume efforts today.
The Aviation Operators’ Association of Guyana (AOAG) has expressed deep concern and sadness over the incident. In a statement, the association confirmed that a full-scale air search and rescue operation was launched, resulting in the rapid location of the aircraft. The AOAG noted that private aircraft operators across the country mobilised in support of the national response and described the effort as a coordinated aviation sector response. The association said it remains in communication with the GDF and continues to support ongoing operations. It also extended prayers and best wishes for the pilot’s recovery. The incident comes as the GCAA recently suspended ASL operations to Matthews Ridge in Region One (Barima–Waini) following an earlier incident at the runway. That suspension lasted a few days before the airline was allowed to resume operations, while the pilot involved was suspended for one month.