Seaplane crash kills 20 off Miami beach
A propeller-driven seaplane carrying 20 people crashed just off Miami Beach within sight of the city’s high-rises, killing at least 19 of those aboard, authorities said. Witnesses said the plane exploded in flames as it came down, and the FBI joined the investigation.
Amateur video obtained by CNN showed the main part of the aircraft slamming into the water followed by a flaming object trailing thick black smoke.
Scuba divers and rescuers in speedboats struggled to reach the victims, but as evening fell, they found no sign that anyone survived.
The Chalk’s Ocean Airways plane – a twin-engine Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard - went down at around 2.30pm after taking off from Miami for the island of Bimini in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It hit the water within sight of the beach.
The Coast Guard said 19 bodies were found. The 1940s-era plane was carrying two crew members and 18 passengers, including three infants, authorities said.
Bahamas Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchombe, who is also a member of parliament for Bimini, said on local television that 11 people aboard the plane were from Bimini, about 50 miles east of Miami.
Because of the witness reports of an explosion, the FBI sent agents to assist in the investigation, but there was no immediate indication of terrorism or sabotage, said Judy Orihuela, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Miami field office.
“It’s too soon to say whether we are going to get involved,” Orihuela said. “We’re just going to check it out.”
Chalk’s is a small air carrier that is not required to conduct federal security screening of passengers and their luggage, said Dale Karlen, federal security director at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
With many schools already closed in advance of the holidays, and Christmas week traditionally one of the biggest times of the year for tourism, the beach was relatively busy, and dozens of beachgoers saw the plane go down. Dozens more gathered to watch the rescue.
As Coast Guard helicopters hovered over the crash site, some surfers remained in the water, only a few hundred feet away. Some surfers used their boards to rush toward the spot where the plane went down.
Ship traffic in and out of the port will be suspended indefinitely, Maes added, including three large cruise ships that had been scheduled to depart yesterday afternoon.
The aircraft was built in 1947 and is registered to Seaplane Adventures LLC in Greenwich, Connecticut, according to FAA records. The plane had a clean safety record with no reported incidents for more than 21 years.
Chalk’s Ocean Airways flies between Miami and the Bahamas, using planes that take off and land on the water. Chalk’s aircraft have been featured in TV shows such as Miami Vice. Its seaplanes take off in view of the port and the multi-million-dollar homes that dot islands in the bay.
Founded by Arthur “Pappy” Chalk in 1919, the airline thrived during the prohibition era (1919-1933), taking bootleggers, their customers and customs agents to Bimini. According to the airline, its most famous regular passenger was Ernest Hemingway, who flew to Bimini to go big-game fishing.
