Eight passengers and two crewmembers walked away with little more than increased blood pressure after crash-landing in waters south of New Providence on Friday.
The pilot of the 19-seat Southern Air flight to New Providence from Cat Island was identified as Bahamian Captain Elston Gaitor. First officer J. Knowles, another Bahamian aviator assisted the captain.
Police Chief Superintendent Marvin Dames said information reaching investigators was that the Beechcraft 1900 aircraft began losing power in one of its wngines 20 minutes after leaving Arthur’s Town Airport at 1:40pm
The engine reportedly died moments afterward, and a short time later, the second engine started experiencing problems.
Faced with a complete loss of power, Supt. Dames said that the pilots “decided they would keep focus and ditch in the areas in the southern end of New Providence… they said the waters were low and would give them a better chance of survival.”
Supt. Dames said the smart actions of the pilots had probably helped to avoid any serious injuries.
Raymond Kongwa, with Felicia Saunders, The Nassau Guardian
