What happened
On April 3, 2002, a Cessna 402B, registration N768WC, was involved in an accident in the Bahamas during a personal flight from Nassau International Airport to Bimini. The aircraft, operated by Southstream Aviation, Inc., departed from runway 14 under visual meteorological conditions. Shortly after takeoff, while the aircraft was executing a turn to its intended course, the left engine began to sputter. The pilot attempted to manage the situation by adjusting the power settings on the left engine, but the engine eventually failed completely. During this period, the pilot observed a drop in both fuel and manifold pressure.
In an attempt to recover, the pilot initiated a turn back toward Nassau International Airport. However, during this return maneuver, the right engine also ceased operation. With both engines inoperative, the pilot was unable to reach the airport and instead performed a ditching in Coral Harbor Lake, located roughly 2.6 nautical miles southwest of the airport. The aircraft landed in water that was between 1 and 4 feet deep and remained in an upright position. The impact caused substantial damage to the airframe, but zero fatalities and zero injuries were reported among the pilot and the passenger.