What happened
On June 13, 2013, a SAAB 340B, registration C6-SBJ, operated by SkyBahamas Airlines, was performing a scheduled passenger flight from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas. The flight was carrying 21 passengers and 3 crew members.
During the landing sequence on Runway 09, the aircraft encountered heavy rain and active thundershowers. The aircraft touched down but subsequently bounced three times, with each bounce increasing in magnitude. During the final bounce, which reached an altitude of approximately 27 feet, the nose landing gear failed. The aircraft then veered off the runway surface to the right, traveling through a drainage area before coming to rest in a swampy area. The excursion resulted in substantial damage to the right wing, right propeller, nose landing gear, and the right underside of the fuselage. There were no serious injuries reported among the occupants.
The investigation
The Bahamas Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID) conducted the inquiry, with technical assistance from the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority and the SAable Group. Investigators analyzed flight data from the FDR and cockpit voice recordings from the CVR.
The investigation examined the crew's adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), the meteorological conditions at the time of the accident, and the aircraft's mechanical state. Investigators also reviewed the crew's decision-making process regarding the approach into a thunderstorm and the execution of landing checklists.