On a day meant for national celebration, the Bahamas has been plunged into mourning by a fatal plane crash that claimed 10 lives on its Independence Day. Prime Minister Philip Davis confirmed the grim outcome for all passengers and crew aboard the small aircraft that went down in North Andros, marking the second deadly aviation incident the nation has responded to in recent memory, as officials urge patience and caution while the investigation remains ongoing.
Preliminary reports from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) outline that the plane, a Cessna 402 registered as C6-FLX, departed from Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, bound for San Andros Airport. The aircraft reported in-flight mechanical issues before crashing into dense brush while approaching the runway for landing. While one person initially survived the impact, they later died from their injuries, Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles confirmed. In a statement honoring the victims, Davis noted that the nation has been forced to grieve far too many lost lives to aviation tragedy, saying “we have mourned too many lives, we have comforted too many families and today we mourn once again.” He called on divine strength to help the country support the bereaved families and navigate the aftermath of the disaster.
To protect the privacy of next of kin, Knowles added that the full passenger manifest will not be released to the public until every family has been personally notified by authorities. Davis emphasized that this respect for victims’ families is a core obligation, urging the public to only share official, verified information to preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation. Multi-agency investigative teams, including AAIA investigators, Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) inspectors and Airport Authority personnel, have already been deployed to the crash site to piece together the cause of the disaster.
The crash comes on the same day as a separate non-fatal incident involving the same airline, Flamingo Air, which owns the Cessna 402 involved in the North Andros tragedy. Earlier Friday morning, a second Flamingo Air flight traveling to Mayaguana experienced an in-flight emergency that forced the pilot to return to Nassau. After all passengers and crew safely evacuated the plane post-landing, the aircraft caught fire. No fatalities were reported in that incident. Minister of Energy, Utilities and Aviation Jobeth Coleby-Davis confirmed that, in the interest of public aviation safety, the ministry has issued a temporary suspension of Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate, pausing all of the airline’s operations pending review. Officials stressed that the suspension is a precautionary safety measure, not a formal finding of non-compliance against the carrier.
In an official statement, Flamingo Air confirmed the ownership of the crashed aircraft and expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, adding that the company is fully cooperating with all investigating authorities to support the probe. The tragedy has cast a heavy shadow over the country’s Independence Day celebrations, with widespread shock rippling through Bahamian communities. Many residents took to social media platform Facebook to grieve missing loved ones, amid early confusion over the full passenger list.
Opposition Leader Michael Pintard joined in offering condolences to the affected families, noting that the disaster turned a day of national joy into a moment of collective grief. “On a day when Bahamians should be celebrating together, our hearts are heavy because of the devastating news of a plane crash,” Pintard said. He committed the opposition Free National Movement to supporting cross-party efforts to improve aviation safety, including the creation of a joint parliamentary committee to review industry regulations and safety protocols. Pintard urged the public to stand in solidarity with the victims’ families and first responders, reflecting on the tragedy as a reminder of life’s fragility: “These unfortunate deaths remind us of the fragility of life and of the need to find ways to pull together when there is so much that seeks to tear us apart.”