planecrash

For Captain Franklyn “Elton” Cambridge, flying was where he felt most alive.

On Friday, he climbed into the cockpit once again, doing what he had done countless times before—guiding passengers safely through the skies.

It would become his final flight.

Captain Cambridge was piloting the Flamingo Air aircraft that crashed into the pine forest of San Andros, claiming the lives of all ten people on board.

While investigators search for answers, his sister, Colette Cambridge Lorelli, struggles to find words.

“My brother, you left this world doing what you loved best, but what a tragic way to go,” she shared in a social media post.

He died doing what he loved.

Friends describe Elton by the kindness that followed him wherever he went.

“Elton was always so nice,” Anthonia Culmer wrote. “He will surely be missed.”

To Sandra Hanna, he was simply family.

“My cousin, the Lion, is gone but not forgotten.”

Others remember the same gentle spirit.

“Elton was always cool and down to earth with me,” said friend Jaydian Miller.

Vanessa Johnson remembered knowing him since their school days.

“He was always a sweet person. This is such hurtful news.”

Perhaps no story captures who Captain Cambridge was more than one shared by a passenger who barely knew him.

Last year, Ashontae McQueen flew with him during Regatta season. Like many travellers, she admitted she was nervous about charter flights. But something about the pilot immediately put her at ease.

“As afraid as I am of charter flights, I felt safe,” she recalled.

The journey ended safely in Nassau. When Ashontae discovered her car battery had died, Captain Cambridge, without hesitation, offered to take her and her baby home.

He helped carry her bags and waited until she was safely inside.

When she tried to pay him for the fuel, he refused. “I didn’t know him from a can of paint,” she said.

“It was my first time meeting him. He didn’t have to do that. But I was so impressed by the professionalism and care he displayed.”

For Ariel Newbold, the hardest part is imagining every stage without Travis’ voice.For years, the two stood side by side as members of the Synergy Band, blending harmonies, sharing microphones and building dreams.

Now, his voice is missing.

“My singing partner,” Ariel wrote. “My close friend.”

“Losing you feels unreal…It feels like the laughter is gone out of the room. And joy is missing from the music.”

Just hours after learning that Travis had died in Friday’s catastrophic plane crash in San Andros, Ariel still stepped onto another stage. She sang but inside, everything had changed.

“Normally stepping onto a stage gives me a rush,” she said.

“But this time it felt mechanical. Like going through the motions.Because I knew I would never step onto a stage with you again.”

Only months ago, the pair had begun planning something bigger she said.

In January, they promised each other they would perform in as many hotels as possible, building a professional background-vocal business while pushing toward the forefront of the Bahamian music industry.

The dream had already begun.

“I started the hotel thing,” Ariel recalled. “You started the island thing.”

“We promised we’d fill in for each other.”

But Travis became so busy that she rarely had the chance.

Now, that promise remains unfinished.

Genesis Junkanoo Organisation remembers the passion he carried.

“Every beat reflected his passion and love for Junkanoo. His impact will not be forgotten.”

Sharmond Smith recalls one birthday that became unforgettable.

“Travis sang to me on my birthday and brought me to tears. He was a superstar among the staff. But he remained very humble.”

North Eleuthera MP Sylvanus Petty says he was privileged to know Travis during his time living on the island.

“He was a kind soul whose talent and spirit touched many lives.”

Juliette Butler still remembers hearing him sing for the first time.

“His voice was so warm,” she said. “I had to tell him how blessed he was.”

For Cheryl Turner, the news still feels impossible.

“I’m still trying to process it. He was such a bright light. His music was always a blessing.”

For Ariel, perhaps no sentence captures that loss more than the one she shared with the world.

“It feels like the laughter is gone out of the room.”

Just before stepping onto a stage, Tonique Gilot smiled with the same confidence that had become part of who she was.

At one time, someone suggested it was time for the first act to perform.

Tonique had a different idea.

“No bey,” she laughed. “I have to perform my song, Sugar Daddy.”

The moment drew laughter from everyone around her.

It has become one of the memories friends hold closest.

Tonique—known affectionately in the cultural circle as Toni Love—was among several people who lost their lives in Friday’s devastating plane crash en route to San Andros for the All Andros Regatta.

For those who knew her, the tragedy is difficult to accept because Tonique was someone who believed wholeheartedly in her gift.

Artist Mighty Pencil Turnquest remembers when she proudly sent him her latest song earlier this year: “Sugar Daddy.”

After listening, he encouraged her. “I told you that you were on your way.”

Looking back now, he says what stands out most is her unwavering belief in herself.

“You believed in your music,” he wrote. “And your passion was unmatched.”

That passion became the heartbeat of Spice Band, where Tonique served as lead vocalist.

Her voice became instantly recognizable and her energy transformed every performance.

But those closest to her say what audiences saw on stage was only a glimpse of who she truly was.

Spice Band described her as far more than their lead singer.

“She was the heart and voice that brought so much joy to so many.”

“Her light, talent and spirit will never be forgotten.”

Friend Darrington Ricardo remembers both the performer and the person.

“Talent paired with a beautiful personality,” he wrote. “Both on and off the stage.”

“I’m still in shock.”

“I’m grateful I had the chance to meet such a kind and genuine soul.”

Her cousin, Donny Anderson, could barely find the words.

“Toni… my sweet cousin.”

“I still can’t believe it.”

For many, disbelief remains the hardest part.

Erica Symonette remembers watching Tonique perform.

“She was a great treasure,” she said. “And a beautiful sight to behold on the stage.”

Melvin Henfield had no way of knowing that one simple conversation would become one of his final goodbyes.

Before Jess boarded her flight to London, she shared what seemed like another ordinary conversation with Melvin.

“Babe, call me when you land. I love you,” he told her.

She smiled and answered the way she always had.

“I love you too.”

But this time, Melvin paused.

“No, Jess…” he replied. “I really love you.”

Neither of them knew those would be the last words they would ever share.

Hours later, while Jessy was crossing the Atlantic, Melvin—known across the Bahamas as DJ Fresh International—was aboard the ill-fated flight to San Andros that ended in tragedy.

“When I landed in London,” she wrote through unimaginable grief, “you were fighting for your life.”

The couple had spent seven years together, she shared.

He was supposed to meet her for the next leg of their journey. Instead, she got the devastating news about the man she hoped to spend it with.

“We had so many plans together,” she wrote. “But God had different plans for you.”

Her heartbreak echoes: “Mel, this has completely broken me.”

“My mind and body are still numb.”

“I still can’t believe you’re gone.”

To those who knew Melvin, the man behind the turntables was known just as much for his heart as his talent.

“He was an amazing individual and a true light in this world,” said Chellcy Martin.

Jasmine Rolle remembered him as “a God-fearing young man, humble, kind-hearted and caring.”

For Rika Cargill, Melvin was far more than a friend. “He was our brother.”

She recalled how his arrival could instantly change the atmosphere of any room.

“He supported everyone with a big smile and intentional humor that caused bursts of laughter.”

Rika remembers one promise that now carries a painful beauty.

When she announced her wedding plans, Melvin jokingly claimed the front-row seat.

“You know I ordained this relationship,” he laughed. “I coming on time so nobody sit in my chair.”

Today, she says that seat will remain for him.

Artist Julien Believe remembers countless moments when Melvin chose friendship over money.

“Work was never about the dollars,” he said. “It was about the brotherhood.”

Following one difficult concert, when spirits were low and giving up felt easier than continuing, Melvin refused to let his friend quit.

“You were the one who reminded me to keep believing.”

“‘I got you, brother.'”

“‘Whatever you need.'”

“‘Say less.'”

“‘No problem.'”

Artist Mighty Pencil Turnquest still laughs while remembering the flash drive Melvin borrowed and took forever to return.

Others remember his unmatched musical creativity.

Many remember his drumming and his ability to command a crowd.

If you walked into a church service where Rashad Storr and Mateo Winder were playing, you probably noticed the music before you noticed them.

One stood with a guitar while the other sat behind a keyboard.

Together, they helped create moments of worship that many say drew people closer to God.

Now, the two friends who spent countless Sundays serving side by side are being remembered together after losing their lives in Friday’s devastating plane crash en route to San Andros for the All Andros Regatta.

For some, it is difficult to think of one without the other.

Rashad faithfully served as a guitarist at New Life Restoration Church and Chapel on the Hill.

Mateo was the music director at New Life Restoration Church, a keyboardist at Chapel on the Hill, and later became the keyboard player for the internationally known Bahamen.

Their ministries crossed churches and stages.

“They faithfully served through the music ministry of Chapel on the Hill,” the church said. “Their worship, dedication and love for God left an imprint that will not be forgotten.”

For Rashad, music was something deeply rooted within him.

Kingdom Evangelistic Apostolic Church said his “love and passion for music ran deep in his DNA.”

He was, they said, “a great asset to the body of Christ.”

Outside of church, Rashad carried that same warmth into everyday life.

Coworker Carlos Mestanza said what he will remember most is not just his work ethic, but the man behind the smile.

“We are left with his eternal smile and the wonderful moments we shared, both inside and outside of work.”

“Fly high, my friend. You leave a massive void behind, but your memory will stay with us forever.”

But perhaps no words cut deeper than those shared by Rashad’s girlfriend, Phoenix.

Hours after the crash, she revealed the thought she could not escape. “I wish I would’ve kissed you longer this morning.”

Friends describe Mateo as one of the kindest people they have ever met.

“He was one of the nicest people you could ever meet,” Gregory Taylor said. “Andros man is the best!” he would often laugh.

Music carried Mateo far beyond the church walls.

Only a week before the tragedy, he stood on stage with Bahamen in Milwaukee, performing before international audiences.

He was living the dream he had worked for since childhood.

Long before the concerts and bright lights, there was simply a teenager fascinated by a keyboard.

Brudda Brad remembers those early days vividly.

“Before the bright lights and big stages, it was the backroom by you,” he wrote.

“I remember we used to be making noise until three in the morning.”

He watched Mateo grow from playing Mr. Rolle’s keyboard during lunch breaks in high school to performing on some of the biggest stages in The Bahamas and abroad.

“What hurts the most is that you were literally living your dreams, lil bro,” he said.

“So much passion, so much life, so much energy, so much laughter, cu short.”

Rashad and Mateo left together.

When Giovanni McKenzie boarded the small plane bound for San Andros, Bahamas, on Friday morning, he wasn’t planning to stay long.

He had one more commitment waiting for him in Nassau.

Before takeoff, the 35-year-old keyboardist told the pilot he needed to be back in time to play at Revolution Church, where he had faithfully served behind the keyboards.

It would be one of the last conversations he ever had.

Minutes later, the aircraft crashed in the pine forest of San Andros while heading to the All Andros Regatta, claiming the lives of everyone on board.

The church service on Sunday, Giovanni was determined not to miss, would go on without him.

For Pastor Rickeno Moncur, the news was almost impossible to process. “It tore my heart to pieces,” he said, addressing his congregation, his voice breaking as he remembered the young man he watched grow from a gifted teenager into a respected musician.

Giovanni was only 16 when he first sat behind the keyboard at what was then Word of Life Ministries. Week after week, they said he remained there, allowing his gift to mature alongside his faith.

“Through faithful service, God developed both his gift and his anointing until he became a worshipper who knew how to usher God’s people into His presence,” Moncur said.

“Gio was family.”

Long before Revolution Church had a full worship band, Giovanni was there.

“There were many Sundays when there were only two musicians,” Moncur recalled.

“But when he sat behind those keyboards, it sounded like heaven had sent an orchestra.”

To many, Giovanni was simply an extraordinary musician. He never played to impress people but to honour God.

“There were services where God had already moved so powerfully through worship that there was hardly anything left for me to preach,” Moncur said.

“His gift created an atmosphere where hearts were healed, lives were changed, and the presence of God became undeniable.”

Outside the church walls, Giovanni became one of the founding members of The Pond Band, performing at cultural events throughout the Bahamas and helping shape the sound of modern Bahamian music.

Yet despite the stages, the applause and the recognition, friends say he never lost his humility.

One fellow musician remembered countless nights playing beside him. “We cried on those keyboards together in worship,” he wrote. “We trusted one another.”

He said Giovanni constantly reminded younger musicians to value themselves. “He always encouraged me to know my worth, but have a heart in it. Don’t cheat yourself.”

Anthony Munnings described him as the man who first introduced him to music.

“My brother, my friend, my teacher… I can’t believe you gone out like that.”

A former classmate remembered the quiet young man they knew as “Slanks.”

Church members remembered the faithful keyboardist who sat in the same place every Sunday.

Artists remembered sharing stages with him.

Congregations remembered how the music felt different whenever Giovanni played.

“It was a new sound in the house,” one worshipper recalled.

“It will be long remembered.”

Just weeks before his death, Giovanni sent Pastor Moncur a Father’s Day message.

It would become one of his final texts.

“Happy Father’s Day,” he wrote. “I just wanted to say I love you and appreciate you. I always looked up to you as a role model and father figure—someone I admire and aspire to be like one day.”

Today, those words carry a weight no one could have imagined.

For his elder sister, Shadaria Nottage, Giovanni was much more than a brother.

“He was my first best friend,” she wrote. “A piece of my heart that I never imagined living without.”

“They say time heals all wounds,” she continued. “But every second stretches into a lifetime.

“Every minute reminds us that you’re gone. Every hour asks us to face a world that keeps turning without you, even though ours has stopped.”

The keyboards Giovanni once played now sit silent.

The sister of the twenty-two-year-old woman killed in a plane crash on Sunday said she will remember her as the “most loving, sweetest and selfless being.”

Aleitheia Newbold was killed when a plane, she and seven others were on crashed in bushes after takeoff in Long Island.

Police said after the crash, they found the extensively damaged twin-engine plane two miles from the airport after it took off from Deadman’s Cay after 9 am.

The other passengers onboard the PA-31-310 plane, sustained injuries, but Newbold died on the scene. With the assistance of the United States Coast Guard, the injured passengers were airlifted to New Providence around 1:30 pm for medical assistance.

Newbold’s sister said she wished she had called Newbold which may have discouraged her from taking the flight.

“Why couldn’t I be a big sister today like I always was to you. Why didn’t I call you this morning? Why couldn’t I have avoided this whole thing from happening by simply calling you as I would?”

Her sister said she is “broken, confused and hurt” since her death.

“Never in a million years…would I dream, think, imagine [or] believe that you would be leaving me so soon.”

After news of her death circulated on social media, Newbold’s boyfriend, Tevin Newbold, with whom she shares a child, showed up at the airport and was informed of her death.  He took to social media to express his disbelief.

“Had to check the ambulance and helicopter myself to find out if it’s really you. They [were] right. You [are] gone forever.”

Newbold’s sister says she will cherish the baby left behind. “Thank you for leaving such a beautiful gem here with me because you knew we’d need her to comfort us in your absence. You made it extra special by having me choose her name. Don’t even worry about her because she’s in the best hands.”

The daughters of Works Minister Alfred Sears and Motivational Speaker and Talk Show Host Spence Finlayson were also passengers on the plane.

Later on Sunday evening, Acting Director in the Department of Meteorology Jefferey Simmons said bad weather did not play a role in the crash.

The Civil Aviation Authority continues its investigations.

Photo credit: Facebook

Investigators said the Bahamian pilots who met their demise in a deadly crash over the weekend, appeared to have flown a stolen plane.

Police said two foreign pilots have since filed a stolen plane report at the Marsh Harbour Police Station on Tuesday and reported their plane stolen from the Treasure Cay Airport.

According to police, the two foreign men said they flew the plane from the Dominican Republic on Friday and were scheduled to leave Abaco on Monday.

A police statement said “The plane was reported arriving in Treasure Cay, Abaco on Friday, July 2, 2021 and was scheduled to depart on Monday, 5 July 2021 when the airplane was said to be stolen.

The Tribune said based on a report from a senior police officer, the two men have since left the country.

The incident has baffled investigators since the Bahamian pilots appeared to have gone through the normal procedure and presented documents to custom officials before their doomed departure.

State of play

The Bahamian pilots were not authorized to fly that particular type of plane as one was a student pilot and the other had an airline transport licence.

Flying this particular plane requires “a type rating certification” which requires additional training beyond their first instruction.

The big story

The Bahamian pilots identified as Jason Allen and Lavan Paul, also former Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers were killed after the plane they piloted blew up soon after takeoff from the Treasure Cay airport on Monday afternoon.

A video in circulation showed the wreckage, fully engulfed in flames in bushes in Treasure Cay.

The airplane is estimated at $300,000.”

Officials have confirmed the death of two pilots onboard a plane that crashed in Treasure Cay, Abaco on Monday afternoon.

According to the Nassau Guardian, police said the pilots onboard the plane “perished.”

The plane crash occurred sometime after 3:30 and is seen in a video, fully engulfed in flames.

Abaco reporter Silbert Mills showed the burning wreck of the plane as smoke billowed from the brushes where the plane plummeted.

The victims onboard the plane are believed to be Jason Allen and Lavan Paul.

According to the Nassau Guardian, Aviation Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said the plane arrived from The Dominican Republic and was headed to Nassau.

A flight tracker shows that the pilots left The Dominican Republic on Friday at 2:03 in the afternoon and arrived in Treasure Cay, Abaco an hour and 42 minutes later where they stopped over.

The tracker shows that the pilots were expected to leave Abaco for Nassau at two o’clock on Monday.

According to police, Abaco officers discovered the burning wreckage in bushes some distance away from the Treasure Cay Airport.

Police said its initial report indicates that the airplane was seen taxiing and a short time later, smoke and fire were seen billowing from the plane.

The cause of the crash remains unknown.