Ten people, among them American holidaymakers, survived after a seaplane went down in waters close to an upscale resort in the Bahamas.
The crash happened as the chartered aircraft, a 2014 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan seaplane operated by Tropic Ocean Airways, was nearing the end of its approach by the resort island. The incident occurred Saturday morning around 10 a.m. near a resort in North Bimini, the westernmost district of the Bahamas.
According to authorities, the aircraft was attempting to take off when it encountered boat traffic in the area. The pilot turned north to seek a safer takeoff route, but the seaplane began pulling to the left while taxiing on the water. Despite attempts to correct the aircraft’s course, it could not be kept clear and struck a dock near the resort.
People watching from shore said the plane appeared to hit the surface at an unusual angle and quickly began taking on water, triggering an urgent rescue effort involving nearby boaters, resort employees, and coast guard crews.
“It was a chaotic scene, but people moved fast,” one witness recalled. “Boats instantly raced out to the crash site to start pulling people out of the water before the plane started sinking further.”
Because of the swift response, all eight passengers and both crew members were removed safely from the plane and taken back to shore. Among those who aided the rescue was Nick Pavlakis, a boat operator and general manager of Jupiter-based Marine Max. Pavlakis described the evacuation effort, noting that the pilot and copilot evacuated from the aircraft just as it began to roll.
Authorities praised the boat captains and resort staff who responded immediately as the emergency unfolded.
“The quick thinking of the boaters who immediately headed toward the crash site saved lives today,” a local police spokesperson stated. “Thanks to their brave efforts, a potential tragedy was averted.”
One passenger, Jeanne O’Brien, described the frightening seconds before the impact when she realized something had gone badly wrong.
“We were headed out into the ocean to take off, but we were right next to the fairly large marina, and we were, I don’t know, just a ways away from the dock, and all of a sudden, the dock started getting closer and closer, and one of the people in the plane behind me said, ‘Where are you going?’ And then it just was ‘boom,’ and it hit,” O’Brien told news outlet WSVN.
Authorities said several people were left with minor cuts, bruises, and severe shock, but there were no deaths or critical injuries, a result aviation officials described as “nothing short of a miracle.”
An investigation has now been opened by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority and Bahamian authorities to determine what caused the incident.
Early information indicates weather conditions or a sudden mechanical problem during landing could have been factors, though investigators are still working to recover the submerged aircraft so its parts can be examined properly. Aviation analyst John Nance noted that the investigation will examine what the captain was doing, how the airplane was being handled, and why it could not be kept clear of hitting the dock.
Tropic Ocean Airways said in a statement that the aircraft was “involved in a mishap while taxiing before departure” and that the company is “cooperating fully with the applicable authorities.”
The U.S. State Department said it is in touch with local authorities and is closely monitoring any developments.
For now, the passengers and crew are recovering after the ordeal and are thankful to the locals who helped bring them out of the water.