Bahamian Pilot Recounts Dual Engine Failure in Florida Crash Landing

Ian Nixon, a 43-year-old Bahamian pilot, described losing both engines, all communication and avionics before crash-landing a small plane 50 nautical miles off Florida's east coast, saving the lives of 10 passengers.

"Basically, lost my navigation, all radios — flying over 25 years and I've never seen anything like that," Nixon told CBS News. The father of three, who has returned to Nassau, added, "I did my best. I had a lot of stuff going on in the aircraft — just trying to get that under control."

The Bahamian government arranged his transport home after he received treatment for minor injuries at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Florida.

Nixon first lost one engine on the Beechcraft King Air 300, then the second. He tried radioing Freeport and Miami radio but got no response.

All 11 people aboard reached a Florida hospital after rescue by the 920th Rescue Wing, a U.S. Air Force unit trained for search and rescue. Three suffered minor injuries. Nixon and the passengers spent hours on a life raft amid rough weather, unsure if their beacon had activated.

On the raft, Nixon said he declared, "In the next 10 minutes a plane is going to come." A passenger replied, "Hold on, did I hear something?" Soon after, a U.S. Air Force plane spotted them.

The chartered flight left Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas for Freeport, Grand Bahama, on Tuesday morning. The trip should have lasted 20 minutes, but after the failures, Nixon flew as far as possible before ditching in the water.

"Once I hit the water my first thought was, 'We didn't die.' That's one of the things I remembered. We didn't die, let's get down," he said.

Nixon, a pilot since age 18, reflected on the Air Force's description of a "pretty miraculous" landing. "Just have faith, keep praying and care about one another — always tell your family you love them," he said.

The Bahamas Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority stated it would not investigate since the crash occurred outside territorial waters. It notified relevant authorities. "At this stage, the AAIA will not speculate on the cause," the agency said. "Any such matters will fall within the scope of the official investigation conducted by the appropriate investigating authority once determined."