Bahamian Pilot Says Dual Engine Failure Forced Atlantic Crash Landing Before Air Force Rescue

A veteran Bahamian pilot says a catastrophic, simultaneous failure of both engines and every electronic system aboard his Beechcraft King Air 300 left him no option but to ditch the aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean. All 11 people aboard the flight survived and were later rescued by U.S. military crews after floating on a life raft for hours off Florida's east coast.

The Details

Ian Nixon, the pilot, told CBS News that the aircraft lost both engines, along with all communication, navigation, and avionics systems, before he crash-landed it in the Atlantic Ocean. The flight had departed Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas and was en route to Freeport when the failures forced the emergency landing.

According to military officials cited by CBS News Miami, the aircraft went down approximately 80 miles off the coast of Melbourne, Florida. CBS News separately reported the location as about 50 nautical miles off the east coast of Florida. The two figures are broadly consistent, since 50 nautical miles converts to roughly 57.5 statute miles, and the reports used different reference points along the coast.

The emergency locator transmitter on the downed aircraft alerted the U.S. Coast Guard at approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday, CBS News Miami reported. A helicopter from the 920th Rescue Wing, which was already airborne on a training mission, was redirected to conduct the search and rescue operation alongside Coast Guard aircraft.

Rescue crews located the survivors floating on a life raft. "They had already been in the raft for about five hours," said Capt. Rory Whipple. Three survivors sustained minor injuries, and all 11 were transported to hospitals in Florida. Officials said the rescue helicopter had only minutes of fuel remaining after hoisting all 11 survivors aboard.

Context

Nixon, who has flown for more than 25 years, described the cascade of failures as unprecedented in his experience. "Basically, lost my navigation, all radios — flying over 25 years and I've never seen anything like that," he told CBS News.

After successfully ditching the aircraft in open water, his immediate thought turned to the survival of those aboard. "Once I hit the water my first thought was, 'We didn't die,'" he said.

The rescue operation took place as thunderstorms were approaching the area. CBS News Miami reported that the helicopter from the 920th Rescue Wing had been conducting a training mission when it was redirected to the search.

What's Next

The Bahamas Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority stated that it would not speculate on the cause of the crash. Because the incident occurred outside Bahamian territorial waters, the authority said the official investigation would be handled by the appropriate authority with jurisdiction over the crash location.