GDF Awaits Official Report Before Releasing Crash Findings

Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, says the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has completed its internal review into the tragic December 6, 2023 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of five military officers. However, the findings will not be released until the Ministry of Public Works issues its official investigation report.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Brigadier Khan confirmed that the GDF conducted its own Board of Inquiry into the crash involving a GDF Bell 412 helicopter, which went down in the dense jungle between Arau and Ekereku, Region Seven. The accident killed pilot-in-command Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, Colonel Michael Shahoud, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome, Staff Sergeant Jason Khan, and retired Brigadier Gary Beaton. Two others — Lieutenant Andio Michael Crawford and Corporal Dwayne Johnson — survived.

Khan emphasised that, while the GDF was a stakeholder in the investigation, legal authority for the official probe rests with the Ministry of Public Works under Guyanese law.

“We were a stakeholder in the investigation… The Ministry of Public Works has that mandate to direct and investigate the incident,” Khan said. He said the GDF did what it had to do internally but its final position will take into account the official report.

The Chief of Defence confirmed that recommendations from the GDF’s internal review have already been acted upon, but declined to disclose specifics, stating only that those findings would be shared after the official report is issued.

The official investigation, led by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), has involved several international partners, including the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Transport Canada, and Bell Helicopters. Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, had previously stated that the draft report was completed and that the black box from the helicopter was sent to the U.S. for analysis.

Edghill also credited the NTSB for prioritising the case and providing critical technical assistance. The minister had said he has fulfilled the ministry’s obligations in appointing an investigator… the black box was delivered to the U.S. for data retrieval, which will guide the final report.

Until the Ministry’s report is finalised and released, both the public and military families awaiting answers will have to continue to wait for clarity on the circumstances that led to the loss of five of the GDF’s most experienced personnel.