Reports say a pilot’s quick thinking during a frightening plane crash helped ensure all 11 passengers on board made it out alive.
The twin-engine turboprop was en route to Grand Bahama International Airport in the Bahamas on Tuesday (May 12) when it ran into trouble at around 11am, after departing from Marsh Harbor.
With communications unavailable and severe weather approaching, the aircraft ultimately went down in the ocean. All 11 people onboard managed to get into a life raft after the impact.
Surviving the crash was only the first hurdle. The group then spent roughly five hours waiting for rescuers to reach them.
The US Coast Guard said everyone onboard has been “accounted for,” and Air Force Maj. Elizabeth Piowaty described the outcome as extraordinary.
“And from what I’ve seen, I mean, for all those people to survive is pretty miraculous.”
Details of the rescue were shared during a Wednesday press conference, including remarks from Air Force Capt. Rory Whipple, who entered the water to get to the stranded passengers.
He said the toll on the group was obvious as soon as he got close.
“You could tell just by looking at them that they were in distress — physically, mentally and emotionally,” he said.
“You have to imagine the emotional injuries that they sustained out there, not knowing if someone was going to rescue them.”
Piowaty also credited the pilot’s handling of the emergency landing at sea, noting how rare it is for everyone to survive a ditching.
“I’ve not known anyone to survive a ditching in the ocean,” the Air Force chief said. “From what I’ve seen, for all those people to survive is pretty miraculous.”
Because the aircraft could not communicate normally, the survivors relied on their emergency locator transmitter beacon so teams could pinpoint their location.
Whipple said the passengers had no idea help was approaching until rescuers were essentially right above them.
“They didn’t even know that we were coming until we were directly overhead. So you have to imagine the emotional injuries that they sustained out there and not knowing if someone’s going to rescue them.”
Piowaty added that supplies and basic tools helped the group endure the long wait, and that the sight of rescue aircraft likely brought immediate reassurance.
“They were able to spread out their food and water and some basic survival tools. So giving them that extra hope that we were overhead and we were going to provide rescue for them, I’m sure, was a great relief.”
All 11 adults onboard, described as being from the Bahamas, were transported to Melbourne Orlando International Airport in Florida. The US Coast Guard has said they are all in stable condition.
Whipple later reflected on the mission and what it meant for those involved.
“On someone’s worst day we’re at our best, bringing everyone home. And then at the end of the day, as a reserve airman, we get to go home to our families, as well.”