planecrash

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.