NASSAU, BAHAMAS – In an update released Tuesday, the Bahamas Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) has confirmed that a small twin-engine turboprop aircraft carrying 10 people crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s Fort Pierce coast while on final approach to Grand Bahama International Airport.
The plane involved in the incident, a Beechcraft 300 King Air registered under the tail number HP-1859, departed earlier Tuesday from Leonard Thompson International Airport located on Abaco island in the Bahamas, according to AAIA’s official statement.
Midway through the planned flight, the aircraft’s pilot-in-command issued an emergency alert to regional air traffic control. Moments after the distress call, all communication with the plane was lost, the agency confirmed.
Immediately following the loss of contact, air traffic control teams at both Freeport and Nassau activated their full emergency response protocols. Key search and rescue stakeholders were notified right away, including the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the United States Coast Guard, and the Bahamas Air Search and Rescue Association (BASRA).
Coordinated search operations led by the U.S. Coast Guard quickly located the wreckage of the downed aircraft in waters off Fort Pierce. All 10 people onboard were pulled from the ocean alive, with three individuals sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. The AAIA reports that the full investigation into the root cause of the crash is currently underway, with updates to come once preliminary findings are compiled.