Ten killed in Bahamas plane crash

The Flamingo Air Cessna 402 aircraft had departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in the capital, Nassau, on Friday afternoon on a 17-minute flight to North Andros Island when it crashed into the ocean, killing all aboard. The crash occurred just two months after the US Coastguard had rescued 11 people aboard a twin-engine Beechcraft plane flying locals from Marsh Harbor to Freeport Island to vote on election day on May 12th went down after major engine failures.

“This is a painful moment,” Prime Minister Phillip Davis said in a brief national address. “The families affected deserve compassion, privacy, and support as the investigation proceeds. The government will continue to receive updates from the commissioner of police and other relevant agencies, and the public will be informed as more confirmed information becomes available. May God comfort every family touched. We have mourned too many lives, we have comforted too many families and today we mourn once again,” he said as he updated the nation of about 300,000 people just off Florida. Opposition leader Michael Pintard said he was devastated by the crash, noting that it occurred “on a day when Bahamians should be celebrating together, our hearts are heavy because of the devastating news of a plane crash.”

The local aviation authority reported that its investigators have sprung into action but remained unclear about the reasons for the catastrophic failure of the plane.

“At this stage of the investigation, no determination has been made regarding the cause or contributing factors of the accident,” the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority said in a statement.

Incidentally, the authority had also been investigating yet another incident earlier on Friday, also involving a Flamingo Air flight, which had experienced technical issues and had returned from Mayaguana Island to Nassau, the capital, as a safety precaution.

Officials say that the two crashes involving the same operator had forced it to suspend its operating license “in the interest of safety.”

Domestic aviation is a key component of economic life in The Bahamas as the population is scattered across 700 islands, most of which are unoccupied so flying between them is the best way of reaching them, officials say.

In September 2024, a Piper Aztec plane crashed into the sea near Nassau because of engine failure, killing eight people aboard, while a Piper Navajo slammed into trees in Long Island killing one and injuring six. Officials blamed dual engine failure.