The chief investigator with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA), Kendall I. Dorsett Jr. Tuesday said that they are still gathering data regarding last Friday’s plane crash that claimed the lives of all 10 people on board.
‘It is very, it is very, too much early in the investigation. You’re looking at just four days after the accident. So the only thing that we have done, we call this the on-scene gathering of information phase.
‘And so basically we are just gathering data at this time. Like I said in the beginning, at this time, we cannot provide any findings, conclusion, analysis of probable cause. That’s at the end of the process, we are able to present that within the 12 month time,’ Dorsett told a news briefing. Police had earlier said that preliminary investigations had so far revealed that the Cessna Flamingo Air aircraft with registration number C6-FLX had crashed in the pine yard near North Andros Airport.
They said that a 24-year-old person, who had survived the crash and found with ‘extensive burns covering his body’ had ‘regrettably…succumbed to his injuries’.
Dorsett told reporters that the the aircraft was on the visual flight rules plan from the Linden Pindling International Airport en route to the San Andres Airport when the tragedy occurred.
‘Preliminary flight tracking data indicates a descent of approximately 1000 feet at approximately 12 46 pm (local time). And this was headed in a southerly direction. And this would have continued until contact was lost at 12 48 p.m.
‘There was impact with trees and the aircraft opted to travel a short distance before coming to rest in a heavily wooded area. And this area was to the west of runway 12 of the San Andros Airport at a distance of approximately one nautical mile. ‘
Dorsett said that the aircraft was destroyed ‘by fire, nine persons receiving fatal injuries’ and that ‘it was determined that the landing gear was observed to be in an extended position and the flaps were also observed to be in an extended position.
‘So based on those observations, it would appear that the aircraft would have been configured for landing at the time of the accident,’ he said, adding that an ‘aircraft of this size do not are not required by regulations to have a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder.
‘And so that’s that’s a norm. And so persons or investigators are aware that that piece of information you would not have access to…if it was a bigger aircraft. But certainly the evidence that we can’t collect, it does give us an indication and it provides enough information for us to come up with a determination of probable cause and other findings.
‘So that’s really not…going to be an advantage,’ Dorsett said, acknowledging that it would ‘definitely an advantage to have it.
‘But that does not mean that we cannot come up with a probable cause. That would not prevent us from doing so,’ he said, adding that the last time the pilot would have made connection with air traffic, would be available.
‘Whatever recorders they have, we have,’ he said, adding ‘we started to receive a tranche of recordings and files and all of that.’
Media reports said five members of the well known Da Pond Band died in the crash, including band leader Giovanni McKenzie, Rashad Storr, Mateo Winder, Toniquea Gilot, and Tra’vis Johnson.
The reports said that Melvin Henfield, a DJ, and Andros natives Quintin Myers and Macaro Rolle, were also onboard the flight. The pilot, Franklyn Cambridge, also died in the crash.
The accident occurred as Bahamas celebrated Independence Day on Friday and Prime Minister Philip Davis it has become a day of mourning.
‘To every family that has received the devastating news that someone they love will not be coming home we offer our deepest condolences. There are no words that can take away your pain.’
The Ministry of Energy and Aviation said that the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) temporarily suspended the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Flamingo Air and that the suspension was imposed ‘in the interest of aviation and safety following two safety incidents that occurred today’.
Meanwhile, North Andros Island Administrator, Beverly Laramore, says because the plane went into flames after impact, collecting evidence as well as the remains of the deceased has been challenging.
‘Whatever remains that they were able to find, they have removed. We know that there was a intense fire.And so you have where, I don’t wanna be too graphic because you have family members who will probably listen to this, but you have from a fire, you’re gonna have remains and not always intact.
‘And so the police have to go through those ashes to ensure that they remove all of the remains to process the investigation further,’ Laramore said, adding that the pain the community is feeling is compounded by the lack of information as to who exactly may have been aboard the aircraft.
She said since Friday, very little information has been made available.
‘We’re still waiting on the official reports as to who was on that flight because we have not gotten the official names. What we’re going on by now is that persons who were intended to come and we cannot get in contact with them.We’re going on that basis as to who may have been on the flight.
‘But we still have not gotten a confirmation to say exactly because we could not identify the bodies, we are still on that term,’ she said, adding that a candlelight vigil will be held later on Tuesday to honour the lives of the five Dupont band members and the five other passengers who died in that tragic crash on Friday in North Andros.