Fly Jamaica 757 Overshoots Runway in Guyana, Injuring 6 People
A Fly Jamaica Boeing 757 overshot the runway in Guyana on Friday morning attempting to return to the airport shortly after takeoff because of a fault.
Fly Jamaica flight 256 was traveling to Toronto (YYZ) from Georgetown, Guyana (GEO), when it encountered a technical problem shortly after takeoff. Onboard the aircraft were 118 passengers and eight crew members who were deemed safe, although six people reported minor injuries after the overrun.
According to AFP, Guyana's infrastructure minister, David Patterson, said the Boeing 757-200 encountered a hydraulic issue after taking off and attempted to return to GEO. The aircraft overran the runway and crashed into a fence. Passengers evacuated via emergency slides.
Photos from the scene appear to show significant damage to the main fuselage, as well as to its starboard side wing and engine.
Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 shows that the aircraft departed from GEO just after 2am local time. The aircraft ascended to 19,950 ft before turning around and circling, landing just before 3am. In total, the aircraft was in the air for 44 minutes.
The 757-200 involved in the crash landing is registered as N524AT. PlaneSpotters.net reports that the aircraft is more than 19 years old, having been delivered to American Trans Air in October 1999. Since then, the aircraft has moved to operate under the ownership of ATA Airlines (March 2003), VIM Airlines (July 2006), Aurela (February 2008), Flycraft II Ltd (November 2010) and Wings Aviation (September 2011). In March 2012, Fly Jamaica took delivery of the 757-200.
Fly Jamaica issued the following statement: "We can confirm that Fly Jamaica Flight OJ256 bound for Toronto returned to Georgetown with a technical problem and has suffered an accident on landing. At this time, we believe that all 118 passengers and eight crew members are safe. We are providing local assistance and will release further information as soon as it is available."
Since the overrun, the airport has reopened, though several delays were reported. A Fly Jamaica representative told the Associated Press that the airline was making "alternative arrangements" for passengers.
Invor Bedessee, a passenger on board flight 256, told Canadian outlet CTV that, "We were saved on top of the edge of the cliff. It was a very scary flight. There was praying. There was cursing. Everything was chaos. They just wanted to get off the plane, get off the plane, fast."