Surviving members of the beloved Bahamian musical group Da Pond Band are talking out about their associates and bandmates who have been killed when a small aircraft operated by Flamingo Air crashed within the Bahamas on Friday, killing all 10 folks on board.
Da Pond Band, identified for his or her vigorous Caribbean music, and a preferred DJ have been all set to carry out at an Independence Day celebration on Andros Island. A flight that sometimes takes underneath 20 minutes, the aircraft had left Lynden Pindling Worldwide Airport in Nassau and was en path to San Andros when it crashed in North Andros, the Bahamian Plane Accident Investigation Authority stated.
Earlier within the day, Shenia Roberts, a vocalist for Da Pond Band, had already arrived on Andros Island and was ready for the remainder of the band to reach. Roberts stated 5 members of their group have been killed within the crash.
“They have been the folks that I talked to within the morning, within the evening,” Roberts instructed CBS Information. “They have been my associates, my confidants. And I used to be ready on them.”
She stated she flew in from Nassau on the identical aircraft, flown by the identical pilot, at round 7 a.m.
“You possibly can inform it was an previous aircraft,” Roberts stated. ” However we did not have any points.”
Bahamian investigators are wanting into what led to the crash. Flamingo Air suspended all flights after two emergency incidents occurred on the identical day. Earlier within the day, the airline had a separate aircraft catch fireplace after touchdown in Nassau, in line with Bahamian officers. There have been no casualties in that incident.
“I am nonetheless shocked that they are gone. I can not imagine it,” stated Shaniese Miller, one other surviving band member. “They’re my household and I by no means anticipated that to occur.”
Miller was final with the band members who died the earlier Friday at a weekly efficiency they host in Nassau.
“It is the most well liked spot, each Bahamian is there. Worldwide folks fly over simply to return to see Da Pond,” Miller instructed CBS Information. “We have been having a lot enjoyable, and after the second set, we have been, they have been simply saying how they have been so excited to go to Andros.”
The band members who died have been recognized by Da Pond Band as Giovanni McKenzie, Mateo Winder, Rashad Storr, Tonique Gilot and Travis Johnson. Melvin Henfield, also called DJ Recent, was additionally on the flight, in line with the band.
The lack of these common music figures has hit the leisure trade within the Bahamas laborious.
“They meant a lot to so many individuals, this nation is wrecked,” stated Anishka Lewis, a preferred Bahamian singer who typically carried out with Da Pond Band. “The very last thing I stated to them as a result of we have been in rehearsals until about 1 a.m. I instructed them, I say, hear, I really like and respect y’all, man. Thank y’all for placing within the effort and time and vitality into it, and I can not wait to see y’all on Saturday.”
Three different passengers who weren’t performers have been on the flight. Officers haven’t but launched their names.
Anasthasia Rolle instructed CBS Information she believes her 16-year-old son, Nicholas Oliver Jr., is amongst those that have been killed Friday. She stated she believes he was added to the flight on the final minute.
Rolle stated her son was excited to go to household and attend the competition. He was set to take a ferry earlier within the day together with his father however they bought there too late, she stated. The daddy then went to the airport to see if he may get him on a aircraft.
He was set to reach round 12:30 p.m., however as planes saved arriving in San Andros, Rolle could not discover her son. Hours handed.
“The query was, the place is Nicholas? Did he disappear?” Rolle stated. “Because the time handed, I needed to come to realization that my son was undoubtedly on that aircraft.”
The pilot on the Flamingo Air flight waited on the tarmac to fill extra seats for 2 hours after the aircraft was set to initially depart, in line with Roberts, the vocalist for Da Pond Band, who stated she was texting with McKenzie, one of many leaders of the band who died within the crash.
“He instructed me that they have been on the brink of depart, I reached out and I requested him, so why are you taking so lengthy? What occurred? He stated the pilot … He is looking for different folks to fill the aircraft up,” Roberts instructed CBS Information.
McKenzie wrote at 12:01 p.m. on Friday that the pilot was “ready spherical for extra folks to full up the aircraft,” in line with a screenshot of the textual content trade on WhatsApp that was obtained by CBS Information.
A Bahamian aviation supply aware of the matter instructed CBS Information it may be a standard observe within the Bahamas to attend till the aircraft is full earlier than departing if the consumer is paying per seat, moderately than chartering all the aircraft.
The flight was presupposed to be a constitution flight unique to the performers for the competition, in line with Roberts.
“That ought to haven’t been the state of affairs, as a result of it was a chartered aircraft,” Roberts stated.
CBS Information has reached out to Flamingo Air for remark.
When reached by cellphone, the proprietor of the airline instructed CBS Information he had “no remark.”
The flight departed round 12:30 p.m., in line with flight information. It crashed in a wooded space close to the airport 18 minutes later.
