Government Refuses to Release GDF Helicopter Crash Report, Citing National Security
By Tiana Cole| HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The government has sparked a heated transparency debate after announcing that the final investigative report into the December 6, 2023, helicopter crash will remain confidential. The tragic incident claimed the lives of five senior Guyana Defence Force (GDF) servicemen when their Bell 412EP helicopter went down in the dense jungle of Region Seven.
Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar, confirmed the administration’s stance during the 2026 Budget Debate, asserting that the flight was a “military operation” and therefore exempt from public disclosure under the Chicago Convention.
The National Security Argument
Minister Indar argued that because the aircraft was under state and military control at the time of the crash, it is classified as a “state aircraft.” He maintained that military investigations fall within the purview of the National Security Board rather than civil aviation authorities.
“Which country that has military operations discloses to the public when you have incidents or accidents?” Minister Indar asked the National Assembly. “It is a national security issue and it is exempted by virtue of that.”
MP Walton-Desir Challenges “Military Secrecy”
Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement and MP, Amanza Walton-Desir, has strongly rejected the government’s reasoning. She accused the administration of a “sharp and alarming departure” from previous commitments made by Minister Juan Edghill and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo to release the findings.
Walton-Desir’s Key Counter-Arguments:
- Civilian Registration: The helicopter (8R-AYA) was registered on Guyana’s civil aviation registry, not a separate military one.
- Lack of Military Airspace: She noted that Guyana does not have a “carve-out” for military airspace, meaning the flight operated within civil-administered zones.
- Annex 13 Obligations: The MP argued that since the government triggered an investigation under Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, they are legally obligated to release a final report.
- Safety Implications: She emphasized that mechanical or human factor findings regarding the Bell 412—a model used widely in civilian aviation—could save lives in the private sector.
“Redact it, don’t bury it,” Walton-Desir urged, suggesting that sensitive operational details could be edited out without concealing the causal factors of the crash.
Honoring the Fallen
The controversy continues to shadow the memory of the five servicemen who perished while on a mission to survey border defenses:
- Brigadier (Ret’d) Gary Beaton
- Colonel Michael Shahoud
- Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles (Pilot)
- Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome
- Staff Sergeant Jason Khan
Survivors Lieutenant Andio Crawford and Corporal Dwayne Jackson were rescued from the wreckage 48 hours after the crash. Walton-Desir noted that withholding the report denies these families closure and prevents the aviation sector from learning critical safety lessons.
