The Bahamas: Plane crash causes panic but passengers survive

The Bahamas have launched a probe with immediate effect by authority of The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA), following the crash of a US-registered Piper PA32 seven-seater plane. The Police said in a statement that the plane has crash landed in the bushes near Spring City, just south of the airport in Abaco late Sunday.

The AAIA also said that the crash occurred shortly after 4:10 pm (local time). There were five people onboard, including the pilot. The plane had taken off from the Leonard Thompson International Airport at Marsh Harbour.

On Sunday night the police also said that the plane was inbound to Marsh Harbour from Eleuthera when it began to experience engine failure and the pilot crash landed in bushes near Spring City, just south of the airport.

The Media also reported separately that a number of brave locals made attempts to approach the site and help the passengers but were hindered by inclement rain. None of the four passengers or the one pilot were injured, much to the relief of the authorities and locals alike.

The Piper PA32 seven-seater plane is registered in Wilmington, Delaware and is said to be owned by Inter Island Charters with the registration N106MR.

No further details have been furnished by the authorities yet but considering the probe into the matter, it is expected that the case will be discussed in ample detail soon. While it is unclear where this crash was cause by negligence, technical error or sheer bad luck, it is important to note that as of now no loss of life has been reported.

It is also not known what the parameters of the probe or the investigation will be. It would be interesting to know what the basis of the investigation is and if there is an element of suspicion involved in the entire event.

What is beyond doubt though is that this would have been quite an ordeal for the passengers and the pilot on board, who didn’t just crash land into the bushes, but also had to wait for rescue operations to be initiated in extreme weather.

The rain obviously complicated the rescue efforts and would have likely been a test of the passenger’s resolve. Needless to say, it is good to know that the outcome of the whole ordeal was a positive one.