Aircraft Runway Collision with Animal Triggers Investigation in Guyana

Guyana: A Trans Guyana Airways aircraft was involved in an incident after striking an animal on the runway before the aircraft’s landing at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport (SYEC), resulting in a major collision with a capybara.

According to the reports the aircraft involved in the incident was a Beechcraft 1900 with a registration number of 8R-GAQ.

As per the sources, the aircraft was damaged after striking a capybara on the runway. The Beechcraft 1900 started its journey from Suriname to Guyana. It shortly arrived after 18:00 hours when the incident occurred.

The collision resulted in damaging the aircraft’s propeller which disintegrated and forced the pilot to take evasive action. Initial information indicated that the aircraft’s propeller hit the capybara on the runway, which caused damage. After some seconds, the aircraft experienced nose gear collapse, which resulted in a runway excursion.

The incident was also confirmed by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority who noted that, “The aircraft, bearing registration number 8R-GAQ, was completing an inbound flight from Suriname to Guyana when it departed the runway surface upon landing. There were 14 persons onboard at the time of the incident. There are no reported injuries, however, the nose gear of the aircraft was damaged. The preliminary reports suggest that this was caused by wildlife breaching the runway during landing.”

No injuries have been reported among the passengers or the crew. Further investigations are currently ongoing with respect to this incident. The GCAA confirmed that it has immediately launched a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident in accordance with the established civil aviation safety protocols.

Many people have reacted to this incident in different ways. A person named Giovanni Vreugd Boerland said, “So now [where is the] runway safety team? Air traffic control didn’t spot the animal on or near the runway before giving clearance?” and on a similar note another person said that there’s “no airfield ops” in action at this airport. Also, many people felt bad for the animals and their safety.