Eleven people were rescued after their twin‑engine turboprop was forced to ditch in the Atlantic during a short flight between Bahamian islands.
Passenger Olympia Outten, traveling with her niece and two young sons, described the panic as the aircraft suddenly lost both engines and radio communications. Pilot Ian Nixon, 43, told CBS News he made a rare and difficult decision to put the plane down on the water. He later described the moment the aircraft hit the ocean and the powerful relief that followed: his first thought, he said, was that they were alive.
After the plane came to rest, everyone climbed into a life raft. Outten said it was terrifying to be in rough conditions as the plane began to sink. She remembers her niece and family members helping her aboard because she does not know how to swim. “When I saw the helicopter, that’s when I released,” Outten said, recalling the moment the rescue crew arrived. “I said, ‘Thank you, Jesus. We get saved.’”
The survivors drifted for several hours before they were spotted. Nixon and Outten both noted a stroke of luck: a U.S. Air Force search‑and‑rescue unit was conducting exercises only about 15 minutes from the crash site. That unit’s C‑130 crew reached the scene, hoisted the passengers from the raft and flew them to safety. Outten called the rescuers “heroes.”
Nixon spoke about the technical challenge of bringing a powerless aircraft down on water and guiding passengers through the evacuation as the airframe settled and began to sink. Passengers waded into the ocean and boarded the raft, uncertain whether help would arrive. They were in the raft for hours before the Air Force team returned and lifted everyone to safety.
Officials have said an investigation will follow to determine why both engines and communications failed. For the passengers and crew, the focus now is on recovery and gratitude: survivors and their families are thankful they were rescued, and they praised the quick response and skill of the Air Force rescuers who were nearby when the emergency occurred.