The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ENERGY, Utilities and Aviation Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis yesterday said she could not explain why Flamingo Air's Air Operator Certificate was not suspended sooner despite the airline's history of at least 14 publicly documented accidents and safety incidents over the past two decades, saying she would have to seek further information from the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas (CAB).

"I am not certain. As the minister responsible, I was advised by CAB after they made the determination, so I'll have to get further information from CAB," Mrs Coleby-Davis said when asked why the suspension came only after Friday's crash that killed the pilot and nine passengers near San Andros Airport.

The minister also declined to comment on whether regulators had done enough to oversee Flamingo Air, referring those questions to CAB while saying the regulator is conducting a comprehensive review of its own processes following the tragedy.

Mrs Coleby-Davis said CAB had already conducted a postmortem review and would continue assessing the country's aviation oversight framework before providing her with a detailed briefing.

"They are the regulators. They have been leading in the sector, and they have a good relationship with ICAO, and so this is going to require a full assessment of where they are. But I'll allow them to complete some of the internal workings, provide me more comprehensive update, and then I'd be able to say more."

Her comments came amid heightened scrutiny of Flamingo Air's safety record. Public records show the airline has been involved in at least 14 accidents and safety incidents since 2005, including fuel exhaustion, mechanical failures, repeated landing gear collapses, runway excursions, emergency landings, a passenger door opening shortly after take-off and an emergency exit opening while an aircraft was taxiing.

Among the more serious incidents was a 2005 crash in Exuma after a pilot miscalculated fuel requirements, a mechanical failure that forced a Piper Aztec into mangroves near Grand Bahama in 2012, and a Cessna 402 accident at Staniel Cay weeks later that investigators linked to weather conditions, pilot decision-making and unfamiliarity with the aircraft. Between 2016 and this year, the airline experienced numerous landing gear failures involving aircraft at Staniel Cay, South Bimini, Black Point, Marsh Harbour and Lynden Pindling International Airport.

Although several aircraft were substantially damaged and some passengers sustained minor injuries, none of those earlier publicly recorded accidents resulted in fatalities. Friday's crash was the airline's first publicly recorded fatal accident, and investigators have not linked any previous incident to the disaster.

Hours before the fatal crash, another Flamingo Air aircraft returned to New Providence after the pilot reported a concern. Passengers safely disembarked before the aircraft caught fire on the ground. That incident is also under investigation.

Mrs Coleby-Davis also sidestepped questions about the crash investigation to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority, noting that it falls under the Ministry of Transport and operates independently.

The government has since suspended Flamingo Air's Air Operator Certificate as a precaution while authorities investigate both Friday's fatal crash and the earlier aircraft fire. Officials have stressed the suspension is not an adverse finding against the airline.

The AAIA said investigators are examining the aircraft, maintenance records, flight operations, weather information, air traffic services and other evidence.

The authority has urged the public not to speculate on the cause of the crash, stressing that the purpose of the investigation is to improve aviation safety rather than assign blame or determine liability.