NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Passengers onboard an early morning Flamingo Air flight heading to Staniel Cay got quite a scare after the aircraft’s passenger door opened shortly after take-off.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) reported that it is presently investigating an “occurrence” that took place around 8:30 am Monday involving a Beech 99 aircraft with Bahamas registration C6-MMK. Reports state that the aircraft, operated by Flamingo Air Ltd departed the Lynden Pindling Int’l Airport with 17 persons on board en route to the Staniel Cay Airport, Exuma.
Shortly after departure however, the aircraft’s passenger door opened in flight. The aircraft was able to return to LPIA safely without further incident.
Update*
Flamingo Air released a statement on the incident, confirming the fault was due to “a failure to properly fasten the latch”.
“At Flamingo Air we understand that your safety is our top priority. We are deeply sorry for the recent incident that caused concern among our valued passengers. We were just as shocked as everyone else when e saw that video of one of our aircraft’s boarding ladders being deployed while in flight. We want you to know that we take this mater very seriously.”
The airline added, “Our dedicated management team along with our skilled mechanical crew immediately launched an investigation to understand what went wrong. Upon careful inspection, we found that the reason for the ladder’s deployment was a failure to properly fasten the latch. This combined with the turbulence that all planes endure during flight led to the ladder becoming detached. We want to emphasize that at no point was the safety of our aircraft or passengers compromised . The incident was indeed a minor issue but we take it seriously nonetheless.”
According to the airline, the employee responsible for the mishap has been reprimanded. The company added that it plans to offer refresher courses for all employees in the future to ensure that such an incident never occurs again.”
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