Boeing 767 makes emergency landing at Timehri
Stabroek News
September 23, 2002

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A Delta Airlines aircraft flying from Brazil to Atlanta, USA, early yesterday morning developed engine problems and was forced to make an emergency landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

Steven Tate, co-pilot for the Boeing 767 aircraft yesterday morning told reporters at the airport that the right engine of the plane had developed some mechanical problems and had caught fire. As a result, he said, they had been forced to make an emergency landing.

Flight 104 was at the time carrying twelve crew members and one hundred and thirty-eight passengers, who were mostly Brazilians.

Stabroek News understands that the aircraft had been forced to dump some fuel before it landed at Timehri at 1:30am.

The plane was reported to have departed from Sao Paulo, Brazil, some time after 9:00pm, Brazil time.

One passenger, Susan Bolz, an American citizen who is a tele-communications expert, said she had been on her way to Seattle, Washington. She said at the time of the engine problem she had been asleep, but had been wakened by a friend who had seen smoke coming from the engine on the right side. According to her fuel was dumped before landing at Timehri.

Another passenger, a Brazilian, said he had been asleep and had not been aware that there was a problem until he realised that the aircraft had landed in Guyana.

Just about 12 midday yesterday another Delta Airlines aircraft, a Boeing 737, arrived in Guyana from Caracas, Venezuela, to transport the passengers and crew to their destination.

Tate said that the 767 would remain in Guyana until the engine was repaired by Delta Airlines engineers who were expected in Guyana shortly.

M S Khan, manager of the airport, was on hand yesterday to observe the activities after the aircraft landed.

Intelligence officers from the Guyana Defence Force also visited the airport.

There were a few American citizens on board and an official from the US embassy in Guyana visited the airport to take care of the US passengers.

The passengers were allowed off the plane to get something to eat but they were kept under the watchful eye of immigration authorities.

A few minutes after the second plane landed officials commenced the loading of luggage and crew members made they way on board, although not before taking photographs under the `Welcome to Guyana' sign.