At least one person is dead after a small airplane carrying two occupants crashed just short of an airport runway in Turks and Caicos on Tuesday. The flight was coming from a South Florida airport, officials said.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a Cessna 210 with two occupants crashed just before the runway at Providencial International Airport, also known as Howard Hamilton International Airport, in Turks and Caicos around 4 p.m. The aircraft was arriving from North Perry Airport in Fort Lauderdale, and the crash happened as it was on approach to the island’s airport, said the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA).
The TCIAA said local emergency services, including airside fire and rescue, medical response teams, and law enforcement, responded immediately to the crash. The agency added that a support boat from Las Brisas was also dispatched to assist in the rescue.
“Both occupants of the aircraft were promptly attended to by emergency medical personnel,” the TCIAA said. “We can confirm that there was one (1) casualty.”
Neither occupant has been identified at this time.
“Our thoughts remain with the individuals involved in [Tuesday’s] crash and their loved ones,” added Hon. Arlington Musgrove, the TCIAA minister with Responsibility.
The airport was temporarily closed just before 3:15 p.m. to facilitate emergency operations, but has since reopened a couple of hours later, the agency said.
The TCIAA said the National Security Council is working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of the incident. As their investigation is underway, the FAA said it and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will also investigate.
This is the second plane crash this month that is associated with flights coming to or from North Perry Airport and Turks and Caicos. On July 13, four people were hospitalized after another small plane coming from Turks and Caicos crashed just short of the runway at North Perry.
