Bahamas Plane Crash: Four Americans On Sightseeing Tour Killed

A Bahamas plane crash has left four U.S. citizens dead after their single-engine plane went down in the waters a few miles off Grand Bahama island.

The accident happened early on Sunday near the northernmost island of the Bahamas, police said.

Police Superintendent Stephen Dean said the plane had tourists who were taking in some sights around the islands. All four people aboard were killed.

“All are believed to be Americans. It is thought they were on some kind of sightseeing tour,” Dean said.

The Bahamas plane crash took place just minutes after the Cirrus 22 took off from the island’s international airport. The pilot radioed that the plane was “experiencing some engine problems,” police noted.

Police had not released names of the victims, as the investigation was ongoing.

The Bahamas has been the site of other recent crashes. Last year a helicopter crash left one person dead and four injured when the aircraft went down at a luxury resort. An employee of Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club on Great Guana Cay said the helicopter was trying to land at the resort when a gust of wind sent it spiraling out of control.

“They got into an air pocket and it went into a tailspin. It recovered, and then it went into a tailspin again and from there it hit the ground,” the witness said. “The tail came off and the cabin just went into a spin and somebody got thrown out.”

Another Bahamas plane crash last week led an air crew from the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue two men stranded in the water. Their twin-engine plane had crashed, leading a Coast Guard crew in a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to locate and rescue the men.

Police said they are still investigating the cause of the Bahamas plane crash this weekend.