American woman rescued from Bahamas seaplane crash speaks out
An American woman is speaking out after being rescued from a seaplane crash that was caught on camera near the Bahamas on Saturday.
Jeanne O'Brien was one of eight American tourists aboard the seaplane at the time of the crash, all of whom were rescued, along with two crew members.
O'Brien told ABC News the seaplane "went down pretty fast."
"All of a sudden the dock started getting closer and closer, and one of the people in the plane behind me said, 'Where are you going?' And then it just was 'boom,' and it hit," O'Brien recalled.
Video captured by Eloidis Cantillo from inside the Cessna 208B seaplane cabin showed the dramatic moments before the crash.
According to Bahamas police, the small seaplane was trying to take off Saturday morning when it ran into boat traffic. The pilot turned north while looking for a safer route, but police said the aircraft started pulling left while taxiing on the water and despite attempts to correct it, the seaplane slammed into a dock near a resort in North Bimini.
Nick Pavlakis, a boat operator, was nearby at the time and rushed to help evacuate the seaplane passengers and crew.
"Copilot comes off, pilot is getting everything off of the plane … he got off of the plane just as it started to roll and it eventually rolled, sat on the bottom where it still is today," Pavlakis told ABC News affiliate WPBF.
Additional video from Christy Davoudpour showed the 2014 Cessna on its side with one wing in the water, and then half-submerged.
No injuries were reported after the incident.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority and Bahamian authorities are investigating the incident to determine what happened and why.
Tropic Ocean Airways, the operator of the Cessna seaplane, said in a statement that the aircraft was "involved in a mishap while taxiing before departure" and that they are "cooperating fully with the applicable authorities."
"This investigation will of course look at what the captain was doing, how the airplane was being handled, why it could not be kept free and clear of hitting this dock," ABC News contributor and aviation analyst John Nance said. "That will, of course, take some time. You rule nothing in and you rule nothing out."
The U.S. State Department said it is in touch with local authorities and is closely monitoring any developments.
