MV Barima CoI Day 2: Pilot Relives Midnight Search; as Inquiry Examines 80-Minute Mobilization

By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News |

ARTHUR CHUNG CONFERENCE CENTRE, LILIENDAAL — Sworn testimony presented on Day Two of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the MV Barima disaster revealed how an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal and three bright distress flares guided an overnight private aerial search mission to the pitch-black waters where the vessel capsized.

Testifying before the five-member commission, Captain Learie Barclay, Director of Operations at Roraima Airways, detailed the emergency mobilization that unfolded in the early morning hours of July 19, 2026, after receiving an urgent call from National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia.

While Barclay’s account detailed the successful airborne localization of the disaster site and the subsequent rescue of ten survivors, commissioners—led by retired military leadership—questioned the operational timeline, focusing on the 80-minute window between the initial distress call and aircraft wheels-up, the unstaffed control tower at Eugene F. Correia International Airport (Ogle), and the total lack of forward-looking infrared (FLIR) rescue technology.

Midnight Call and Solo Prep at Unstaffed Ogle Airport

Captain Barclay recounted being awakened past midnight to initiate an aerial reconnaissance mission over the Atlantic:

• The Midnight Directive: At approximately 12:16 AM on July 19, National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia contacted Barclay directly, requesting urgent aerial intervention to locate the state ferry, which had capsized hours prior off the Essequibo coast.
• Unstaffed Tower at Ogle: Barclay arrived at Ogle Airport around 12:45 AM. With no air traffic controllers or ground personnel on duty at the Ogle tower, Barclay personally inspected five fleet aircraft, selected an Islander/Highlander with two and a half hours of flight endurance, manually towed the aircraft into position, and conducted pre-flight safety inspections alone.
• Navigation via WhatsApp: Flight coordinates were relayed to Barclay via WhatsApp. He inputted the coordinates into the aircraft’s onboard GPS, independently cross-referenced the flight path with a colleague, and filed clearance through the Air Traffic Control tower at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri.
• Take-off (1:36 AM): Barclay departed Ogle at 1:36 AM—exactly 80 minutes after receiving Gouveia’s call.

“We would have conducted our briefing… and then we left at 1:36…” Barclay testified regarding the pre-flight procedures.

Locating the Wreckage: Tide Calculations, 121.5 MHz, and Flares

Reaching the coastline near Hampton Court, Essequibo, within 20 minutes, the crew began tracking drift patterns in total darkness:

• Factoring Tidal Drift: Recognizing that ocean currents would sweep survivors and debris away from the vessel’s last known coordinates, Barclay consulted air traffic controllers regarding the tidal cycle, establishing that low-tide currents were pushing drift outward into the Atlantic.
• Homing in on 121.5 MHz: The flight crew tracked the international emergency frequency (121.5 MHz), monitoring the signal strength of the vessel’s Emergency Locator Transmitter as they circled below 1,000 feet.
• The Sight of Flares: At approximately 2:09 AM, as the signal peaked, Barclay spotted three bright distress flares piercing the Atlantic darkness.
• Marking the Coordinates: Barclay recorded the exact coordinates and immediately patched them through to Air Traffic Control and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).

“If something is floating on the surface the tide will push it, so I asked air traffic… low tide…” Barclay recounted, explaining how drift modeling directed the flight path.

“Survivor gears… one of the major components of survival gear are flares… that is an international system of distress…”

Low Visibility, Rescues, and CoI Scrutiny Over Response Lags

Operating below 1,000 feet in heavy darkness, the crew could not visually confirm the condition of the vessel’s hull or see individuals in the water:

• Survival Reports: After circling the zone and transmitting precise navigational coordinates to maritime search craft, Barclay returned to Ogle, touching down at approximately 2:37 AM. During his return flight, incoming communications confirmed that maritime rescue units had pulled two survivors from the water, followed shortly by an additional eight survivors.
• Executive Debrief: Upon landing, Barclay directly briefed President Dr. Irfaan Ali on the operation, the marked coordinates, and the maritime conditions observed from the cockpit.
• Commission Questioning: Commissioner Retired Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard pressed Barclay on whether an 80-minute mobilization gap between the 12:16 AM phone call and the 1:36 AM departure was adequate for an aviation emergency response.
• Infrastructure Deficits: Barclay explained that while Roraima operates on a 24-hour rapid-response footing, keeping flight crews on active physical standby at the airport could reduce departure times. However, he emphasized that Guyana’s primary search-and-rescue bottleneck is technical: the country lacks aircraft equipped with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) thermal imaging sensors capable of detecting human body heat in pitch-black waters.

Barclay’s testimony concluded Day Two’s morning session, underscoring that while private aviation assets filled a critical vacuum, systemic infrastructure deficits—including unstaffed regional towers and the absence of thermal SAR sensors—severely challenged life-saving operations during the July 18 disaster.