On a routine Friday morning commute that was supposed to take just 35 minutes, passengers aboard Bahamasair flight UP136 faced an unexpected hour-long scare when a malfunction in the aircraft’s primary landing gear forced the crew to circle the Bahamian capital before a successful emergency landing.
The flight, which carried Abaco resident Jade Adderley, his wife, and their six-year-old son, had departed Marsh Harbour without incident and was nearing its destination at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) in New Providence when the problem emerged. Adderley, a passenger who shared his firsthand account of the incident, told local media he first sensed something was wrong when he failed to hear the familiar sound of the landing gear deploying as the plane began its descent.
“The pilot lowered the nose and lined up for landing, then suddenly we climbed back into the air,” Adderley recalled. The aircraft circled back and attempted a second approach, but the primary landing gear still failed to extend. That is when fear began to spread among aware passengers, Adderley said, who spent the next 45 minutes circling the airport as the crew worked to resolve the issue.
For Adderley, the long delay in the air brought traumatic memories to the surface: a recent aviation tragedy in Andros that had already claimed lives. “A lot was running through my mind the entire time we were airborne,” he said. “I kept praying the whole time. I thought, is this how it ends for us?”
Many passengers remained unaware of the severity of the issue through much of the ordeal: Adderley’s six-year-old son slept through part of the incident, and other travelers stayed occupied or napped as the plane diverted farther out to sea before returning for a final landing attempt. Adderley only quietly informed his wife of the potential danger as the plane continued to circle.
In a statement released following the incident, Bahamasair confirmed that the crew immediately followed established emergency protocols after the primary landing gear failed, activating the plane’s backup alternative landing gear system and notifying local emergency authorities as a standard precaution. Emergency responders including ambulances and police vehicles were deployed to the runway to stand by, though the landing went off without incident, and no emergency medical or rescue assistance ended up being needed.
After the plane touched down safely, Adderley thanked both the pilot and the on-ground team at LPIA for their calm, professional handling of the emergency. “God was good, we all got out safe,” he said, praising the crew’s steady response throughout the hour-long crisis.
Following the safe evacuation of all passengers, the aircraft was taken in for immediate repairs. Bahamasair confirmed that the plane was fixed, inspected, and cleared to return to regular passenger service shortly after the incident. No injuries were reported among any crew members or passengers on board.