Aviation > Aviation Accidents/Incidents

Small plane that left Lantana crashed in Bahamas; pilot presumed dead



on dream birthday trip to Africa

A plane that left Thursday from the Lantana airport crashed a half mile from Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport, and the pilot is presumed dead, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed Tuesday night.

The Bahamas Tribune reported Sunday that the pilot, the only person aboard, was Byron Ferguson, 34, of the Bahamas.

The newspaper said the plane crashed in the waters of Nirvana Beach, about a half mile northwest of the airport on the north shore of Nassau’s New Providence Island. It the plane and the pilot had not yet been found.

According to the article, Ferguson was about 40 miles from Nassau when he contacted local air traffic controllers to report that he had difficulties with the plane’s door. He called again around 15 miles out to say he had engine issues.

An FAA plane registration database says the plane’s “tail number” identifies it as a 1970 Piper PA-23-250, a 2-engine 6-seater, and is owned by Lakeland-based Globe Aero.

The Bahamas Tribune, quoting relatives who held a news conference, said Ferguson was heading back to the Bahamas to take his parents on a trip to South Africa in celebration of the birthday of his father Rosce, a retired civil servant. It said his mother Agnes was a popular former broadcaster in the Bahamas.


[0] Message Index

Go to full version