Helicopter makes emergency landing in Matura forest

About 2 pm yesterday a private helicopter which was being used to train pilots, was forced to make an emergency landing in the Matura forest when it encountered a mechanical problem.

The pilot landed in the Carib glass sandpit, about three miles into the Matura forest. The pilot and officers on board a National Security helicopter which was also in the area radioed for help to the Matura Police Station; the officers there in turn conveyed the message to the Sangre Grande Station. A team of police officers headed by Insp Edmond Thomas went to the location of the helicopter which was found  around 5.30 pm. The Sangre Grande officers took the pilot and students from the helicopter. They then called the Port-of-Spain heliport for technical assistance. The technicians arrived and repaired the problem. Both helicopters returned to Port-of-Spain. No one suffered any injury. The National Security aircraft had been deployed to do surveillance work along the coast at Maracas and Manzanilla, due to the heavy crowd presence at both beaches.