By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

THE pilot who ditched a plane in waters off Clifton Pier early yesterday morning is being hailed a “hero” after he saved the lives of 10 people on board the aircraft that crashed attempting to land at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

Stuart Cove, principal of Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, said the pilot, who family identified as Rufus Ferguson, did “everything right”.

He told The Tribune that despite one elderly man losing his life, the quick thinking of Captain Ferguson ensured that everyone else survived.

The 10-seat aircraft operated by Ferguson Air crashed around 8.20am about 550 feet off the southern tip of Clifton Pier. A relative told The Tribune Capt Ferguson is a 25 year “veteran” pilot who made a “valiant” effort to save the lives of his passengers yesterday.

The relative, a cousin of Capt Ferguson, said while he had not spoken to him since the crash, he is “understandably shaken, physically well and in good spirits.”

According to a release from the Department of Civil Aviation, the plane is a Piper Navajo4 Chieftan PA 31-350 aircraft, registration C6-REV.

According to police, the plane, which was travelling from Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera to New Providence, lost power and began to “fall from the sky.”

The Department of Civil Aviation said the pilot reported having mechanical difficulties while flying.

Capt Ferguson, realising he could not make it to the airport, landed the aircraft in shallow water. All 11 persons on board survived the crash and were rescued with the assistance of divers from the police force, the defence force and Stuart Cove’s staff.

There were four Bahamians on board and seven Americans.

A 77-year-old American man was pulled from the water unconscious and died shortly after he arrived on shore.

Mr Cove said he knew something was wrong when the plane disappeared from view.

“That pilot is a hero, our very own Bahamian hero,” he said. “The plane was flying very low over the dive shop when it disappeared, it was descending rapidly. My operations manager, Hartman Cooper, quickly flew into action and got one of our rubber inflatables. He went out and when he got sight of the plane, he told me he saw the pilot getting everyone out.

“The pilot aimed at the water and did a perfect landing; he got all the people off the plane and into the water. There was a little boat they tried to put the passengers on but that started to sink, so the captain took the 10 people out of the water and onto his boat. They were all in good shape, except for the elderly gentleman.”

Perry Ferguson described his cousin as a “veteran pilot - cautious, careful and definitely not a risk taker.” He said the married father has been flying for more than two decades.

He too believes that Capt Ferguson’s actions saved lives.

“While I am saddened by the loss of life, it’s apparent that he made a valiant effort to ditch the aircraft in a manner that preserved its integrity as much as possible. This likely saved the other lives,” he said.

Mr Cove, who is also a pilot, said Capt Ferguson managed to find the only calm place on the island to land the plane. He said the pilot should be commended and awarded for his efforts.

“Apparently, the captain said the plane wasn’t feeling right, so he went around the tower and then they lost an engine,” Mr Cove said. “As a pilot we do a lot of training for emergencies, particularly if the engine is out. Those planes have two engines so when one engine goes out, we use the other engine to find a landing spot quickly. At this end of the island, there were no other options.

“It reminds me of the miracle on the Hudson and we have our very own Bahamian Captain Sully. This captain landed that aircraft in the only calm water in New Providence. It is a miracle and the captain should be recognised as a hero.”

In January 2009 Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger ditched a US Airways Airbus A320 in the Hudson River in New York after the plane suffered a bird strike shortly after taking off from LaGuardia. Despite the plane being partially submerged and sinking all the passengers and crew were rescued. Captain Sullenberger and his crew received several accolades for their valour.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Prevention Unit is on-site conducting investigations into yesterday’s crash.