Flamingo Air Cessna crashes in Bahamas, killing all 10 aboard

A Flamingo Air Cessna 402 aircraft crashed on Friday in North Andros, west of Nassau, killing all 10 people on board—nine passengers and one pilot. The aircraft departed Lynden Pindling International Airport en route to San Andros Airport when it encountered difficulties during approach and crashed into nearby bushes shortly after 1 p.m. local time. Rescue personnel initially located one survivor at the crash site, but the individual later succumbed to injuries at a medical facility.

The crash occurred on the Bahamas' 53rd independence anniversary, a date Prime Minister Philip Davis described as transformed from celebration to mourning. "Once again, a chapter in our nation's story has been marked by tragedy," Davis said at a media conference. The timing compounded the national tragedy as the country was observing its independence day.

The incident was the second aviation emergency involving Flamingo Air on the same day. Hours earlier, another Flamingo Air aircraft returned to Nassau after the pilot reported a technical issue. A fire broke out on that aircraft after landing and passengers disembarked safely, with no injuries reported. In response to both incidents, Bahamian authorities temporarily suspended Flamingo Air's air operator certificate as a precautionary safety measure pending investigation. The ministry stressed the suspension should not be treated as an adverse compliance action against the airline.

Bahamian Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles confirmed the death toll and noted that police investigators had been dispatched to Andros Island. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority of the Bahamas is leading the investigation into the crash's cause. Small aircraft serve as a primary means of transportation between the Bahamas' 700+ islands and 2,400+ cays, making aviation safety critical to the archipelago's infrastructure. Flamingo Air, which operates a nine-aircraft fleet serving 13 destinations across the country, has been involved in eight accidents since 2012, according to local reporting.