Accident Overview
On July 13, 2003, about 1530 eastern daylight time, Air Sunshine, Inc., doing business as Tropical Aviation Services, Inc., Flight 527, a Cessna 402C (registration N314AB), was ditched in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 7.35 nautical miles west-northwest of Treasure Cay Airport (MYAT), Treasure Cay, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas. The ditching followed the in-flight failure of the right engine. The aircraft was being operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as a scheduled international passenger commuter flight from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to MYAT. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight operated on a visual flight rules flight plan.
Occupant Injuries and Damage
Of the nine passengers, four sustained no injuries, three passengers and the pilot sustained minor injuries, and one adult and one child passenger died after they evacuated the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage.
Probable Cause and Contributing Factors
The probable cause of the accident was the in-flight failure of the right engine and the pilot's failure to adequately manage the airplane's performance after the engine failed. The right engine failure resulted from inadequate maintenance that was performed by Air Sunshine's maintenance personnel during undocumented maintenance. Contributing to the passenger fatalities was the pilot's failure to provide an emergency briefing after the right engine failed.