Pilots Held in Guinea Freed from Jail, but in Detention

Two pilots who were forcibly detained and held in jail after landing their Gulfstream IV in West Africa on December 29 have since been released on bail but are still being held in detention, according to information provided to BJT. Pilots Scott Schlenker and Fabio Nunez were flying a Brazilian family and landed at Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport (GUCY) in Conakry, Guinea, for a tech stop. News reports claimed that the pilots were arrested for allegedly landing without authorization and violating the country’s airspace.

According to a CBS News Chicago interview with Schlenker from his hotel in Conakry, where he is being detained, the pilots had all the necessary permissions for the refueling stop. “We received our clearance, we took off, we showed up over here, talked to tower, talked to ATC. Bottom line is, they cleared us to land.”

Military personnel arrested the pilots, Schlenker said during the CBS News interview, adding, “They searched the aircraft five times and they didn’t find anything. The legal system here, you can’t even fathom.”

In response to a query from BJT the U.S. Department of State said it “is actively providing consular assistance and remains engaged on this case…The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans.”