The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) has released a preliminary report into the fatal plane crash that occurred in North Andros on July 10 this year, killing all 10 people on board.
One person, 24-year-old Macaro Rolle had initially survived the crash, but he died of his injuries while awaiting medical transport a short time later.
In its preliminary report, the AAIA said that the 45-year-old Franklyn Cambridge, who had over 13,000 hours of total flight time, was fully licensed to fly the Cessna 402C, a Flamingo Air airplane that crashed in a wooded area one nautical mile away from the runway at San Andros Airport in North Andros.
The report states that the ‘non-scheduled commercial flight into Andros was conducted as a charter flight by Flamingo Air’ and that the aircraft left Nassau without incident on July 10, its third such flight of the day and flew flew westbound en route to San Andres, making a slight right turn to a northwesterly track consistent with joining a traffic pattern for runway 12 on its approach to the San Andres Airport.
The preliminary report noted that at that time, radar recorded data showed the aircraft was at a height of approximately 2,500 feet and shortly after at approximately 12.46 pm (local time) it made a left turn consistent with following traffic pattern procedures in its approach to land.
During the final data recorded by radar, the flight showed an altitude of approximately 300 feet at an indicated airspeed of 62 knots at approximately 12.48 pm, the exact time the aircraft is believed to have made impact with tall pine trees in a wooded area.
‘Preliminary observations of fire signature markings on the aircraft wreckage suggests that a post-crash fire ensued. The main debris zone was confined to an area of approximately 2,455 square feet.
‘There were several [felled] trees within the main debris zone with a few of them observed to be laying perpendicular to and on top of the aircraft wreckage. Within the main debris zone, evidence of fire and associated damage to the environment were noted by the charred barks of tree trunks as well as the observed brown colored foliage on the tops of trees.
‘The outer debris zone extended to cover an area of approximately 15,500 square feet in which the furthest piece of aircraft debris (left wing navigation light) was observed at a distance of approximately 85 feet from the main wreckage.
‘Based on the distribution of the wreckage, it would appear that a low velocity, low angle impact would have occurred,’ the report noted adding that the fire that ensued destroyed the fuselage of the aircraft.
‘The left propeller was observed still attached to the propeller hub with minimal signs of impact damage to the three propeller blades. The right engine was extensively damaged by a combination of fire and impact forces. The right propeller remained attached to the propeller hub with substantial signs of impact damage to all three propeller blades. All three propeller blades were observed twisted and bent.’
The report states that the certifications of both Flamingo Airlines and the pilot of the aircraft were valid and that in the aftermath of that deadly Independence Day crash, the airline’s operations were immediately suspended.
The AAIA is expected to release its final report on the incident within 12 months of the crash.