The four, two women and two men died when their plane crashed into some trees and exploded around 1:30 p.m. after taking off from the Treasure Cay’s Airport on Abaco Island while en route to Florida.
The victims are Gregory Schwartzenberger and his wife Janice. The second couple is Dennis Sartoris and his wife Janie from Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The two couples travelled frequently together to the Abacos, where they had homes and shared a love of fishing, boating and life.
Their most recent trip last week had a special meaning, as they were making last minute preparations for the upcoming marriage of the Schwartzenberger’s son. They were preparing the Sartoris’s Abaco home for an overflow of guests.
Initial reports are that all those travelling on the single engine, six-seater aircraft were burnt beyond recognition.
Bahamian authorities are still trying to determine what led to the afternoon crash of the six-seat, single-engine Piper Saratoga near the runway at Treasure Cay’s tiny airport on Abaco Island. One official said the crash occurred in gusty winds.
Civil aviation officials and lawmen from the Royal Bahamas Police Force are investigating.
