GEORGETOWN – A Trans Guyana Airways (TGA) flight from Suriname collided with a herd of kapuas at Guyana’s Eugene F. Correia ‘Ogle’ International Airport on Tuesday evening. Although the plane sustained heavy damage to the landing gear and propeller, all twelve passengers and two crew members were unharmed, the news site reports. Demerara Waves Online.
The incident took place around 6 p.m. local time, immediately after the aircraft with registration number 8R-GAQ had started landing. According to TGA spokesman Christopher ‘Kit’ Nascimento, the herd suddenly walked onto the runway, making a collision unavoidable. The engines were immediately stopped, but the impact caused the aircraft to veer off the runway and land in the grass. Sources surrounding the investigation report that the pilot probably deliberately swerved to avoid a more serious accident.
The damage to the Beechcraft aircraft is significant. In addition to the severely damaged undercarriage, one of the propellers hit at least one of the animals. It is not yet clear whether the propeller was completely shattered, but the aircraft had to be towed from the runway.
Nascimento points out the increasing risks to aviation due to large-scale road construction projects around the airport. These activities increasingly drive wild animals, such as kapuas and caimans, towards the runways. The spokesperson emphasized that it is crucial that the runways remain clear, but noted that in this specific case the aircraft had already landed when the animals ran onto the runway and collided with the landing gear. The aircraft has now been removed from the runway.
