Fort Lauderdale – Treasure Cay

On July 13, 2003 at 03:30 PM, Fort Lauderdale – Treasure Cay experienced a crash involving Cessna 402, operated by Air Sunshine, with the event recorded near Treasure Cay Central Abaco.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

10 people were known to be on board, 2 fatalities were recorded, 8 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 20.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 9, passenger fatalities: 2, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. On July 13, 2003, about 1530 eastern daylight time, Air Sunshine, Inc. (doing business as Tropical Aviation Services, Inc.), flight 527, a Cessna 402C, N314AB, was ditched in the Atlantic Ocean about 7.35 nautical miles west-northwest of Treasure Cay Airport (MYAT), Treasure Cay, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, following the in-flight failure of the right engine. Four of the nine passengers sustained no injuries, three passengers and the pilot sustained minor injuries, and one adult and one child passenger died after they evacuated the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as a scheduled international passenger commuter flight from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to MYAT. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on a visual flight rules flight plan.

Aircraft reference details include registration N314AB, MSN 402C-0413, year of manufacture 1980.