NASSAU, BAHAMAS – It was a flight home that ended in tragedy, a family left without answers, and eight years later, a heartbreak that has never fully healed.
November 8th, 2018, pilot Byron Ferguson was flying from West Palm beach to Nassau when his aircraft crashed into the ocean. Just miles from Lynden Pindling International Airport.
Neither his body nor the main wreckage was ever recovered.
He left behind a wife and two children.
For his brother, Dr. Ashton Ferguson, the hardest part has been accepting that some questions may never have answers.
Dr. Ashton Ferguson – Brother, Byron Ferguson
“It’s not a pleasant thing and it’s something you just can’t dwell on because you’ll never have all the answers you’re looking for, and so you have to arrive at a place where you at peace with just letting it go and knowing that ultimately God works for all things…”
Hours after the crash, officials said they spotted debris suspected to be from the aircraft.
However, when they returned to the site the next morning, they were unable to find the wreckage.
The government at the time was widely criticized for its response and handling of Ferguson’s crash.
Even in the midst of all of this, his brother says they had to learn to figure out and work through grief together.
Dr. Ashton Ferguson – Brother, Byron Ferguson
“Pastor Timothy Stuart spend a lot of time with us. You know one of the things he always say is you know just don’t try to figure it out. Don’t try to understand because we never will. I always just think back to that. We just as a family just came together and try you know always remember how good my brother was…”
Now with another family grieving a similar loss, Ashton admits it will be a long road ahead for them.
Dr. Ashton Ferguson – Brother, Byron Ferguson
“It’s gonna be hard and you know it’s no easy way to deal with it. It doesn’t ever get easier but you know you just learn to live with it better.”
