By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Flamingo Air aircraft that killed ten people in North Andros was descending at about 300 feet and travelling at 62 knots moments before it struck tall pine trees while lined up to land at San Andros Airport, according to the first detailed official account of the Independence Day disaster.

The plane had taken on sixty gallons of aviation fuel before the fatal flight, according to the report.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority’s preliminary report, released yesterday, said the Cessna 402C’s left wing made the initial contact with trees about one nautical mile from the airport before the aircraft continued through the heavily wooded area, veered away from its alignment with runway 12 and was destroyed by a post-impact fire.

Investigators said the distribution of the wreckage suggests a “low velocity, low angle impact”. The aircraft’s landing gear and flaps were extended, which investigators said suggests it was configured for landing before impact.

C6-FLX left Lynden Pindling International Airport at about 12.30pm on July 10 on its third flight from New Providence to San Andros that day, after completing two round trips between the airports. The non-scheduled commercial flight was operating as a Flamingo Air charter.

The report does not identify what caused the crash and cautions that its findings are preliminary.

The AAIA said no conclusions, contributing factors or probable cause have yet been determined. The crash, one of the country’s deadliest aviation disasters in decades, killed pilot Franklyn Cambridge and all nine passengers aboard and turned The Bahamas’ 53rd Independence anniversary into a day of national mourning. Five members of Da Pond Band were among those killed while travelling to perform at a North Andros regatta.

Radar showed the aircraft travelling west towards San Andros before cancelling its air traffic services with Nassau Approach Control at about 12.41pm while approximately ten nautical miles east of the airport.

Two minutes later, at about 12.43pm, the aircraft made a slight right turn towards the northwest in a movement investigators said was consistent with joining the traffic pattern for runway 12. It was then at about 2,500 feet.

At about 12.46pm, the aircraft made a left turn consistent with continuing the approach to San Andros and was descending from about 1,800 feet.

The final radar data, recorded at about 12.48pm, placed C6-FLX at approximately 300 feet, travelling at an indicated airspeed of 62 knots.

The aircraft then struck a stand of tall pine trees, with its left wing making the first contact.

Investigators said its forward movement carried it farther into the trees and shifted the aircraft away from its alignment with the runway.

The wreckage eventually came to rest facing roughly south, about one nautical mile from San Andros Airport, before being consumed by fire.

One male passenger managed to escape the aircraft after the impact but later died from his injuries.

Aerial photographs reviewed by investigators suggest the aircraft initially struck the tops of trees before continuing through the middle and lower sections of the stand.

The main debris field covered approximately 2,455 square feet, while debris was scattered over an area of about 15,500 square feet. The aircraft’s left-wing navigation light, the farthest piece of wreckage identified, was found about 85 feet from the main wreckage.

The fire destroyed the fuselage.

Investigators found the left engine damaged by fire and impact forces, although its three propeller blades showed minimal signs of impact damage.

The right engine was extensively damaged, while all three blades on its propeller were twisted and bent and showed substantial impact damage.

The preliminary report does not draw any conclusion from the differing condition of the propellers.

The report also disclosed that Cambridge, 45, had more than 13,000 hours of total flight time, but about 200 hours in the Cessna 402C.

His experience included about 10,000 hours in the DeHavilland Dash 8-300 and about 1,680 hours in the ATR 42/72.

Cambridge held a commercial pilot certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas in December 2025 and a Class 1 medical certificate issued in January.

His most recent proficiency check on the Cessna 402C was conducted on April 29, less than three months before the crash, and was completed satisfactorily.

The aircraft itself had a valid Certificate of Registration and Certificate of Airworthiness at the time of the crash. Its airworthiness certificate had been issued on May 1 and was valid through May 2029.

Flamingo Air also held a valid Air Operator Certificate issued on April 30, 2026, authorising it to conduct scheduled and charter passenger flights as well as cargo and emergency medical services.

However, the AAIA report confirms that the Civil Aviation Authority had previously suspended Flamingo Air’s operations in October 2023.

The regulator again immediately suspended the airline on July 10 following what the report described as two safety-related occurrences involving the carrier that day.

Hours before the fatal crash, another Flamingo Air aircraft bound for Mayaguana returned to New Providence after its pilot reported a concern.

After its passengers disembarked, that aircraft caught fire. Aviation Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis said at the time that both incidents were under investigation. The suspension has effectively halted Flamingo Air’s commercial operations. Thirty-five employees were subsequently furloughed, and the airline began arranging refunds for affected passengers. The tragedy also intensified scrutiny of the airline’s safety history.

A Tribune review following the crash identified at least 14 publicly recorded Flamingo Air accidents and safety incidents over the preceding two decades, although none of those incidents resulted in a death.

The preliminary report also highlights the limited emergency facilities at San Andros Airport.

The government-owned airport operates from sunrise to sunset and permits only Visual Flight Rules traffic. Its single runway is 5,002 feet long and 100 feet wide.

According to the report, the airport’s available rescue and firefighting equipment consisted of a 300lb Purple K fire extinguisher, while its aerodrome firefighting category was listed as “NIL”.

The report does not link the airport’s firefighting capability to the deaths or identify it as a contributing factor in the crash.

C6-FLX was also not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, but investigators stressed that neither was required under the applicable aviation regulations.

Weather information included in the report classified conditions as visual meteorological conditions. Winds were recorded at 16 knots, visibility exceeded six statute miles and the flight was operating under Visual Flight Rules.

The victims included Da Pond Band members Giovanni McKenzie, Rashad Storr, Mateo Winder, Toniquea Gilot and Tra’vis Johnson; Melvin Henfield, known as DJ Fresh International; Andros residents Quintin Myers and Macaro Rolle; Cambridge; and 16-year-old Nicholas Oliver Jr.

The deaths reverberated throughout the country, particularly the entertainment community.

Independence celebrations were disrupted, with the government converting a planned Family Independence Day event at Clifford Park into a memorial service.

The tragedy has also continued to affect the victims’ families. Some were told they could wait six to eight weeks for overseas DNA results before remains could be identified and buried.

The AAIA said its preliminary report contains factual information gathered during the first 30 days of the investigation and is subject to change as additional evidence is examined and validated.