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Emergency landing in the Atlantic
A veteran pilot and 10 passengers endured a harrowing five-hour ordeal in the Atlantic Ocean after their twin-engine plane lost both engines and navigation systems during a routine flight in the Bahamas.
Rapid succession of failures
Ian Nixon, a Bahamian pilot with 25 years of experience, was flying from Marsh Harbour in the Abaco Islands to Freeport on Grand Bahama when the aircraft began experiencing critical malfunctions.
First, the navigation system failed, followed by the radio. Nixon attempted to contact air traffic control in Freeport and Miami but received no response. Moments later, both engines shut down, leaving him with no choice but to execute an emergency water landing approximately 175 miles north of Miami.
"Once I hit the water, my first thought was: 'We didn't die,'" Nixon told CBS News.
Rescue operation unfolds
The US Coast Guard detected a distress signal from the plane's emergency locator transmitter, prompting the redirection of a US Air Force 920th Rescue Wing helicopter from a training mission to the scene.
Captain Rory Whipple, part of the rescue team, described the survivors as visibly distressed after spending nearly five hours in a life raft. Rescuers worked swiftly to extract all 11 individuals before the helicopters required refueling.
"I have not known anyone to survive a ditching in the ocean. For all those people to survive is pretty miraculous," said Major Elizabeth Piowaty, an aircraft commander involved in the operation.
Survivors recount the ordeal
Passenger Olympia Outten recalled the moment of relief when the helicopter arrived. "Everybody was rejoicing to know that we get saved because we thought we were going to die," she said. "That was a scene that was just like it was a movie."
All survivors were transported to a Florida hospital, where three were treated for minor injuries.
Investigation underway
Bahamian authorities are examining the cause of the crash, which remains unclear. The sequence of failures-navigation system, radio, and both engines-has raised questions about the aircraft's condition prior to takeoff.
