“Answers Are Wanted, but It’s Important to Focus on Prevention”

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – It’s been more than a week since one of the deadliest air accidents in the country.

Flamingo Air’s Cessna 402 plane went down on Independence Day in the North Andros pine forests, killing 10 people, including the pilot.

Since then, crash investigators have confirmed the flight was preparing to land at San Andros Airport, and that the aircraft was not equipped with a black box, something they say is not required for an aircraft of this size.

While many are anxiously awaiting the results of the investigation, Captain Randy Butler, a seasoned pilot and former civil aviation inspector, explains what that process might look like.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin – Former Civil Aviation Inspector

“The investigators are usually highly qualified people, and they bring to the table the aircraft manufacturer, the engine manufacturer, and accredited organizations like the NTSB. You have a very qualified team, and they go from gathering information at the crash site to taking the airplane to the U.S., or wherever it’s necessary. The manufacturers, the people who make the engines and other aircraft components, look to see if there was a failure of any system. Meanwhile, investigators gather data about the flight itself and about the pilot. They are going to tell you what happened.”

Butler says the incident once again reveals a wider issue.

Randy Butler – Former Civil Aviation Inspector

“We need to make sure that, because of such a demand, we don’t have uncertified people out there putting others at risk. They’re uncertified because, if you’re not licensed, there’s no requirement for certification. There’s nobody doing checks to make sure the airplane is airworthy, that the pilot is qualified, and that all the required processes, like weight and balance and recurring flight training, are being done.”

When it comes to preventing similar incidents, Butler says there are lessons to learn from the 2018 crash in waters off Mastic Point, Andros, which killed six people.

Randy Butler – Former Civil Aviation Inspector

“That airplane was not operating under an operator’s certificate. That airplane had flown 129 flights in about a three-month period. The pilot was not properly certificated and was flying through instrument meteorological conditions without a normal instrument flight plan and without being instrument rated.”

While getting answers is important, Butler says it’s also vital to show compassion to the crash victims’ heartbroken loved ones, who have been left behind.