Part of missing helicopter found

The left skate  of helicopter HP 1762 was found Friday, Nov.4 November  floating  40 miles from where it took off  from a tuna boat on Nov 1.

The Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Alfredo Fonseca Mora, made the announcement on Friday Nov.4, at Enrique Malek airport,in  the city of David, Chiriqui province, the original destination of the helicopter with two people aboard.

Fonseca Mora said, that the discovery was made at about 1:30 p.m. Friday by a  National Air Service boat and then taken  ashore to make appropriate inspections.

The owner of the helicopter, confirmed that, the skate belonged to the aircraft.

Weather conditions that day were reported adverse and when the helicopter  had  not arrived at the airport alarms were triggered and the search began

The AAC also indicated that it  has not yet been able to establish contact with the tuna boat where the helicopter took of from  It waswhich was scheduled to arrive in Ecuador on Friday.

William Dugarte, senior director of the  Venezuelan Institute of Aviation Safety of Venezuela, who spoke on behalf of the relatives of the two occupants (Venezuelan) of the crashed helicopter. One was 38, and the other 58.

Dugarte thanked the Panamanian authorities for all the efforts to find the two Venezuelans

He said that at all times there has been a direct communication between the authorities of Panama and Venezuelan families.

“I want to state that Panama is an example  od search and rescue in locating people and how to act in such situations,” he said.