Dear AMA Family,
Bob Edwards spent over a week in Venezuela dedicating time to the continued search. Below is a summary of his trip in relation to the search. I sincerely appreciate all he has done and continues to do to find Bob and the others. This appreciation also goes to his wife, Lisa, for her support of him and sharing so much of his time with this effort. To Celso and his wife Rosa I owe more than words can say as they give so much for this cause. Because of the efforts of these dedicated people I pray that God will use them and this whole tragedy and search to advance His kingdom. My desire is that in heaven we, the AMA family, can see the results of our labors and loss and be satisfied. God is at work. Thank you each one for your continued prayers and support. At the end of this letter is the Outpost Center's address where donations can be sent for the search or repair of the airplane. Remember to enclose a separate note stating what project the money is for.
God bless you,
Barbara Norton Kay
Jungle search work update:
Zone D -
We were able to locate and mark the location of the helicopter position where they received a transmission on the emergency broadcast channel 121.5 Mhz three days after the plane went missing. We then pressed out on the designated heading of 270 which is what was captured on the directional finder on the helo. The jungle terrain is very difficult to navigate through and the handheld GPS often lost it's signal and we would use the compass and map to navigate. Celso and the other two Indians were AMAZING in their ability to negotiate through the jungle. They carried minimum gear and relied on their many years of experience. I would not have attempted any of this without their leadership and willingness to take me there. We completed the area we had planned on trying to cover and will be adding this data into the search plan. There is still plenty of area in Zone D that needs to be searched and we will come back to this area shortly. While in the jungle search I also captured some film footage of the search work and environment. I have approximately 6 hours of footage to give to the documentary team to review and use. I will pick out some of the select clips and load them on Youtube hopefully this weekend.
Brazilian eyewitness Zone -
There are now 4, possibly 5 witnesses that saw a plane flying over several small villages near an area called Inferno where a Brazilian miner had said he witnessed a plane in trouble fly over on that Monday. They are all saying that the plane appeared to be in trouble because the engine was surging. This area is located on the direct path back to the home base at Maurak or Santa Elena runway which is the path Bob would have taken if he decided to return from the jungle and go directly back to the hospital in Santa Elena. One of the individuals that I was able to interview was the Capitan of one of these small villages. He was in the Maurak area, providentially, on the same day I was there. He states that he actually saw and heard a small plane mid morning headed over his village area towards the direction of Inferno an it appeared to be in trouble. We now have sufficient data to make this an additional search zone and Celso will take a team in there hopefully by next week to begin searching this area too.
Search Strategy -
As we move forward with this search effort we will now be moving with small teams that can move quickly through an designated area with minimal gear and expense. I left all the lightweight gear and food supplies with Celso so that he could better outfit his small search teams. I would like to let all of those who are following this story know that when I asked Celso how long he is willing to continue this search effort he told me "as long as God gives me life, health and the resources needed, I will search for my brother Bob, Neiba and the others". And I believe him. Celso is a man of incredible dedication and focus and it was my honor to be able to spend this time with him. I told him that our Analysis Team here in the U.S. will continue to work with him and Civil Protection as we all continue to search for our fallen brothers and sisters.... so as God provides we will "press ahead" . . . .
Bob Edwards
Donations:
Outpost Centers Inc.
5340 Layton Lane,
Apison, TN 37302