A pilot is dead and a Guyanese pilot, who is attached to the Guyana Defence Force, was critically injured in a cessna aircraft crash near the Hamilton International Airport in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The injured GDF pilot was not on official duties at the time. He has been identified as Captain Dwight Bonus. In a statement, the Guyana Defence Force said it has been made aware of the incident. The GDF said Captain Bonus was on personal vacation leave at the time of the incident.
The GDF says it is in contact with the relevant authorities and continues to monitor the situation closely.
Bonus was one of two pilots in the small single engine Cessna aircraft that was arriving in the Turks and Caicos from Florida on Tuesday afternoon when tragedy struck.
The name of the pilot who lost his life has not been released. The injured GDF pilot, however, remains in a critical condition.
In a statement, the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) confirmed that the accident occurred as the aircraft was on approach to Howard Hamilton International Airport (PLS). The Airports Authority said Emergency services, including airside fire and rescue, medical response teams, and law enforcement, were dispatched immediately and responded swiftly.
It said as part of the coordinated emergency response, the Authority also deployed a boat with support to assist in the rescue response.
The release said both occupants of the aircraft were promptly attended to by emergency medical personnel, but one of them was confirmed dead.
The airport experienced a temporary closure at 3:14 pm to facilitate emergency operations, but was reopened within two hours.
The National Security Council of Turks and Caicos is working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority and other investigative bodies to determine the cause of the incident, as a full investigation is currently underway.
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