Bahamas Grounds Flamingo Air After 10 Die in Cessna 402 Crash

Q: Did the same deadly mistakes that killed singer Aaliyah cause the latest tragic Bahamas plane crash?

No one can say that yet. The latest Bahamas crash is still under investigation, so there is no confirmed evidence that it was caused by the same failures that killed Aaliyah in 2001. What is known is that both crashes involved a Cessna 402 in the Bahamas, which naturally invites comparison. In Aaliyah’s case, investigators found clear causes: the aircraft was substantially overloaded and the pilot had cocaine and alcohol in his system. Those were specific, documented findings, not assumptions. In the North Andros crash, officials have only confirmed that the Flamingo Air plane went down in the water after departing Nassau for San Andros, killing all 10 people aboard. The Bahamian Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority and the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation are investigating. The government has also temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s air operator certificate after this crash and a separate same-day incident in which another Flamingo Air aircraft returned to Nassau and later caught fire after passengers got off safely. That suspension signals serious safety concern, but it does not establish the cause of the fatal crash. There is, at this stage, no public finding that the plane was overloaded, that the pilot was impaired, or that the same chain of errors seen in Aaliyah’s crash was involved. The fairest answer is that parallels exist, but any claim that the same deadly mistakes caused this crash would be speculation until investigators release evidence.

3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jul 11

Ten people listed on a Nassau-to-San Andros flight died after a Flamingo Air Cessna 402 crashed in North Andros, with Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis saying an initially reported survivor later died.
The Bahamas suspended Flamingo Air's air operator certificate as a precaution while investigators examine the crash, which happened as the country marked its 53rd independence anniversary.
A second Friday incident helped trigger the grounding: another Flamingo Air plane turned back to Nassau after the pilot reported a problem and caught fire after passengers got off.
Officials have not released the victims' identities, but a flight manifest obtained by CBS News showed 10 people were due aboard, including members of the musical group Da Pond Band.