Ten people were confirmed dead following a plane crash in North Andros, Bahamas, as Bahamian authorities launched safety investigations into two aviation incidents that occurred on the same day. The deceased include prominent members of "The Pond Band" and a local DJ, according to the Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union.
A Cessna 402 aircraft, registered in the Bahamas, departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau on Friday afternoon, bound for San Andros Airport. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) reported that the plane "encountered difficulties" and crashed into dense brush prior to its intended landing.
First responders, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Airport Authority, and emergency medical personnel, were dispatched to the crash site. Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis confirmed that a sole survivor was pulled from the wreckage and is receiving care. The identities of those killed have not yet been released, and officials are working to establish the exact flight manifest.
Hours before the North Andros crash, a Flamingo Air flight heading to Mayaguana was forced to return to Nassau after the pilot reported an issue. After the aircraft landed safely and passengers disembarked, the plane caught fire on the runway.
Following these two incidents, the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) temporarily suspended Flamingo Air's Air Operator Certificate as a precautionary safety measure. Investigators from the AAIA and inspectors from the CAAB are on scene in North Andros to determine the cause of the fatal Cessna 402 crash.