Britten-Norman Islander Ditching off Bonaire
Small plane ditches off Bonaire, pilot missing
BONAIRE--A Britten-Norman Islander plane of Divi Divi Air coming from Curaçao made an emergency landing at sea off Bonaire on Thursday. All nine passengers were rescued, but the Canadian pilot Robert Mansel (32), who used to work for Winair in St. Maarten, is missing and presumed dead.
The aircraft registered as PJ-SUN apparently had lost one of its two propeller engines after taking off from Curaçao, but the pilot decided to fly on to Bonaire. However, he was forced to ditch the plane in the sea just short of the runway of the intended destination, around 10:30am.
The plane continued to float on the water for a while, enabling all nine passengers to escape. They were rescued by the Plaza Beach Resort dive boat and taken to medical emergency personnel who had quickly assembled on shore.
The pilot is believed to have hit his head against the cockpit window during the “landing” and to have lost consciousness. Passengers tried to get him out before the plane sank, but the safety belt mechanism reportedly had stuck.
All the passengers were said to be in good condition.
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