What happened
On July 13, 2003, a Cessna 402C, registration N314AB, was performing a scheduled international passenger service from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport in Florida to Treasure Cay Airport in the Bahamas. During the flight, the aircraft experienced an in-flight failure of the right engine.
Following the loss of power, the crew performed a ditching in the Atlantic Ocean. The incident occurred approximately 7.35 nautical miles west-northwest of Treasure Cay Airport. The aircraft suffered substantial damage during the impact with the water.
Of the nine people on board, the evacuation resulted in two fatalities, including one adult and one child. Among the survivors, three passengers and the pilot suffered minor injuries, while the remaining four passengers were uninjured.
Findings
At the time of the accident, the flight was operating under visual flight rules in visual meteorological conditions. The primary factor leading to the ditching was the mechanical failure of the aircraft's right engine during the cruise phase of the flight.