ANDROS — A small plane operated by Flamingo Air crashed in North Andros, killing all 10 people on board. The aircraft had departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau and was en route to San Andros, where members of the popular Bahamian group Da Pond Band were scheduled to perform at an Independence Day celebration.

The Cessna 402 crashed in a wooded area near the San Andros airport 18 minutes after departure. Additional Source 1 reported the plane crashed into dense brush and was engulfed in flames at the crash site. Flight records indicate the flight departed around 12:30 p.m., though another account states the aircraft left shortly after 1 p.m. First responders, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Airport Authority, and emergency medical personnel, rushed to the scene.

Five members of Da Pond Band—Giovanni McKenzie, Mateo Winder, Rashad Storr, Tonique Gilot, and Travis Johnson—were among those killed. Also on board was Melvin Henfield, known as DJ Fresh. Three other passengers who were not performers died in the crash, though officials have not released their names. Anasthasia Rolle believes her 16-year-old son, Nicholas Oliver Jr., is among the victims.

Shenia Roberts, a vocalist for Da Pond Band, had arrived on Andros Island earlier that day on a flight flown by the same pilot. She described her slain bandmates as close friends and confidants. “They were the people that I talked to in the morning, in the night,” Roberts told CBS News. “They were my friends, my confidants. And I was waiting on them.” She added, “You could tell it was an old plane,” but noted, “we didn’t have any issues.”

Roberts also revealed details about the delayed departure. According to her, the flight was intended to be a charter exclusively for the performers. However, Giovanni McKenzie texted her at 12:01 p.m. saying the pilot was “waiting round for more people to full up the plane.” Roberts explained, “He told me that they were getting ready to leave, I reached out and I asked him, so why are you taking so long? What happened? He said the pilot ... He’s trying to find other people to fill the plane up.” She expressed concern about the change in plans, stating, “That should have not been the situation, because it was a chartered plane.”

The Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union confirmed the deaths in a statement on Saturday, honoring the victims’ contributions. “Among the dearly departed are some of the talented and vibrant members of our entertainment community, including members of The Pond Band and a DJ,” the union said in a statement on X. “(Their) passion, dedication, and artistry touched so many lives and helped to enrich the cultural fabric of The Bahamas,” the union added.

Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis paid his respects to the victims in a statement on X. “Ann and I are praying for the families who are now facing unbearable grief,” Davis wrote. He added, “This is a painful moment. The families affected deserve compassion, privacy, and support as the investigation proceeds.”

The crash occurred on the same day as another emergency involving Flamingo Air. Earlier that day, a separate Flamingo Air plane caught fire after landing in Nassau. That aircraft, en route to Mayaguana, had returned to Nassau after the pilot raised a concern; it caught fire on the runway after passengers had deboarded. There were no casualties in that incident. Following the two emergencies, Flamingo Air suspended all flights. The Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas temporarily revoked the airline’s air operator certificate as a “precautionary safety measure.”

Bahamian investigators are looking into what led to the crash. Investigators from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority and inspectors from the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas are at the crash site to determine the cause. The owner of Flamingo Air declined to comment when reached by phone, telling CBS News he had “no comment.”

Why It Matters

The crash claimed the lives of prominent figures in the Bahamian music scene, including five members of Da Pond Band, a group widely recognized as a cultural fixture in the nation’s entertainment landscape. Their scheduled performance was part of a national holiday celebration, underscoring the significance of their loss to the community. The incident also triggered immediate regulatory action, with the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas suspending the operator’s certificate after two safety-related emergencies involving the same airline occurred on a single day. Surviving band members, colleagues, and government officials have all emphasized the profound cultural and emotional impact of the tragedy, while an official investigation seeks to determine whether operational decisions—such as delaying takeoff to add passengers to a charter flight—contributed to the disaster.