Sunday, April 18, 2021

Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, N827RD: Fatal accident occurred April 16, 2021 near South Bimini Airport, The Bahamas

National Transportation Safety Board 
Accident Number: GAA21WA076

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; South Florida

Aircraft crashed in the water for unknown reasons after departure.

Goyo Air LLC


Date: 17-APR-21
Time: 02:28:00Z
Regis#: N827RD
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA31
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 1
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 91
City: SOUTH BIMINI
State: BAHAMAS



Kyle Wade, 20

Andre Wade, 59


SOUTH BIMINI — A small plane headed for South Florida crashed after takeoff in Bimini, leaving a young man dead and sending his father to the hospital.

According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority, the Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain bound for Opa-Locka took off from Bimini International Airport in South Bimini and crashed in shallow waters at the end of the runway, Friday night around 10pm.
 
Authorities said the victims were a father and son. The son was killed, and the father was rushed to a hospital in the Bahamas.

Family members identified the deceased victim as 20-year-old Kyle Wade and his father as 59-year-old Andre Wade. They said Kyle had recently gotten his pilot’s license.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the crash. Andre worked at Sandals and had been a director there.

Bahamas Press has asked the question how did the plane land and take off when Bimini has no radar or airport lighting at that time of the night?

Also, there was no Immigration or Customs officials present to clear the flight. So what is really going down at these family island airports? What is dis?


Andre Wade and his son, Kyle


A Jamaican man remains hospitalized following Friday’s (April 16) deadly plane crash that claimed the life of his son off the coast of the Bahamas.

The victims have been identified as 59-year-old Andre Wade and 20-year-old pilot Kyle Wade.

According to preliminary reports, the Wades were aboard a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain bound for South Florida when it crash-landed in shallow water east of the South Bimini International Airport just before 10:00 pm.

Local media reports further state that the Wades were among a group of four that earlier arrived in the Bahamas from the Tamami Airport in Florida. Only the father-and-son duo were confirmed to be on the manifest for takeoff.

The younger Wade, who recently received his piloting license, was pronounced dead at Bimini Clinic, after and he and his father were extricated from the submerged plane.

It is unclear whether Wade lost control of the plane or if the aircraft had developed mechanical problems.

Both the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority in Florida and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Bahamas have launched an investigation into the incident.

Our Today has been reliably informed that Andre Wade is a past student of Wolmer’s Boys’ High and has held senior management positions in regional hospitality conglomerate Sandals Resorts.

Wade made headlines in the United States in June 2016, following the death of his wife, when he slammed reports of Orlando mass shooter Omar Mateen being buried in the Muslim Cemetery in Hialeah Gardens where she was interred.




Investigators will return to Bimini today to continue their probe into a plane crash that killed one of two men on board.

Air Accident Investigation Authority chief investigator, Captain Delvin Major said a team is being sent to the island today to assist with the matter after their efforts were disrupted because of the fuel in the water.

“We sent a team down on Saturday,” Captain Major said.

“We just were able to do a limited preliminary investigation because there was still a lot of fuel in the water so it was a danger to our investigators and they could not fully get involved like we would need to, but (today) we will head back to Bimini to continue our investigations because the conditions would’ve been more favorable.

“We’re also moving the aircraft where it’s at now and it’s being taken to the United States where we will be meeting with the individuals from the manufacturer who would be assisting us (in our investigations). We’re leaving next week.”

He also said initial investigations conducted by AAIA found that pilots of the small plane that crash landed in waters in South Bimini last Friday had received clearance to fly from the island at night.

He confirmed the matter when asked to respond to claims from a concerned citizen that the flight did not get the proper authorization to depart from Bimini and also, that night flying on the island is prohibited.

“Well, so far our investigations have determined that the flight was properly notified to the authorities and so, we did find that the document that there was a flight plan and approval to do that,” Captain Major said.

“The airport in Bimini does have proper lighting and I don’t know where those claims come from. . .but as far as this flight is concerned, the flight did have proper authorization to fly into and out of Bimini at night and the airport was staffed with the appropriate amount of people to ensure that the flight can get in and get out as required.”

According to reports, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, registered in the United States, was heading to Florida with two American men onboard when they crashed in waters in South Bimini shortly after take-off.

Family and friends have identified the victims as 59-year-old Andre Wade and 20-year-old Kyle Wade, father and son. The son died in the accident.

According to initial enquiries, the aircraft had left Tamami Airport, Florida on Friday with four passengers.

They arrived at the South Bimini International Airport shortly before 9am. All four passengers disembarked. Later that day, shortly after 9pm, the two passengers took off from the South Bimini International Airport before the plane crashed.




Caribbean tourism interests in North America are saddened by the news that their colleague, Andre Wade, 59, lost his son, Kyle in a plane crash in The Bahamas on Friday.

Kyle, who was 20, had just received his pilot license.

His father was seriously injured in the crash and has since been hospitalized.

Authorities in The Bahamas said the Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain took off from the Bimini International Airport in South Bimini on Friday night heading for Opa-Locka in Florida.

It crashed at sea in shallow waters near the end of the runway.

Colleagues close to Wade in Florida say he has since been airlifted to Kendall in South Florida where he is reportedly in a stable but serious condition.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority in The Bahamas is investigating the crash.

Andre Wade is from Kingston, Jamaica and worked for many years with Sandals Resorts as a successful sales executive.

He is a graduate of Wolmer's Boys' School and recently lost his wife to an illness. 

Several years ago, Wade also lost his father in a plane crash near in Jamaica.




A Jamaican man remains hospitalized after a plane crash that claimed the life of his son in waters near South Bimini in the Bahamas on the weekend.

The deceased has been identified as 20-year-old pilot Kyle Wade.

His father, 59-year-old Andre Wade, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and is a past student of Wolmer's Boys' School, media reports indicated. 

According to the Bahamian Tribune news website, the Jamaican and his son were aboard a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain that took off from South Bimini International Airport in the Bahamas on Friday, April 16. The flight was destined for Opa Locka, Florida. 

However, about 10:10pm, the plane crashed in shallow waters at the end of the airport's runway.

A report from Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) chief investigator, Captain Delvin Major, stated that officials received information on the crash about 10:48pm on Friday, April 16.

Major, in a statement, informed that Kyle, who was the pilot, succumbed to injuries he sustained at Bimini Clinic, while his father was airlifted to Nassau.

The elder Wade was airlifted to the United States for further medical treatment, Major disclosed. His present condition is unknown.

Meanwhile, Major further stated that "the pilot was in possession of a valid United States commercial pilot license with appropriate ratings for the aircraft as well as a valid medical certificate".

The AAIA is continuing its probe to determine the cause of the crash.

47 comments:

  1. Reminds me of living on SoFL where I'd fly over old drug runner aircraft wrecks. Not sure why the mention of the son recently getting his private ticket is relevant here unless he was behind the controls having only a single engine ticket.

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    Replies
    1. That would be a lot of airplane for a new pilot, even if he was multi rated.

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    2. It’s relevant because it gives context to the story

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    3. "Meanwhile, Major further stated that 'the pilot was in possession of a valid United States commercial pilot license with appropriate ratings for the aircraft as well as a valid medical certificate.'" Something doesn't quite add up.

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    4. Night "VFR" over water, new pilot. Spatial disorientation?

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  2. I owned a Navajo and 5400 ft. is plenty of takeoff runway for a lightly loaded Chieftain. But if it was in fact "night" they would have been in total darkness over the water as soon as the gear was up. Let's hope the US handles the investigation.

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  3. An investigation is definitely important. There seems to be many accidents on takeoff at Bimini. But Regardless of the reasons, it is a very sad moment. That young brother leaves behind a 23 year old brother, Saleem Wade to face the death of his younger brother and the severe injuries of his father. Just a few years ago, they lost their mother. Too much to bare for one young man. Prayers and condolences to this family. Wishing the father a speedy recovery.

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    Replies
    1. Let us not forget the death of the senior Wade's father from a plane crash in Jamaica.

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  4. Registered 03/29/2021, for sale ad said freshly overhauled engines and props in 2020.

    A single ADS-B Data point shows 50 feet and 130 knots after the pavement ran out on runway 10 departure. Local news reported in the water within 300 yards after that.

    Track below shows earlier arrival + that one departure data point:

    https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ab4c57&lat=25.683&lon=-80.239&zoom=8.5&showTrace=2021-04-17

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  5. Forgot to trim for takeoff after delivering passengers?

    "Being a long aircraft, the Chieftain is pitch trim-sensitive and it's crucial to set it correctly for takeoff, based on how you have it loaded. Today, with only one passenger and no bags, we are nose heavy and so set the trimmer at the back end of its takeoff range."

    https://www.pilotweb.aero/features/flight-tests/piper-pa-31-navajo-chieftain-1-6016338

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    1. "According to initial enquiries, the aircraft had left Tamami Airport, Florida on Friday with four passengers."

      He definitely needed to re-trim before takeoff from Bimini...

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  6. How and who gave the pilot permission to land and take off. Bimini airport closes at 6pm. They landed and took off way after hours.

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    1. Permission can be obtained from CAD in Nassau on a case-by-case basis. Customs and Immigration are moot points that have no bearing on this accident. The airport has operating runway lighting. What's your point?

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  7. There are 4 Kyle Wades in the FAA Airmen database. Only one of them, a "Kyle Andre Wade" has a pilot certificate. It was issued less than half a year ago and has only a single engine land rating, so unless he has a pending multi engine cert that hasn't shown up in the database yet, he could not legally be pilot in command for this aircraft.

    Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT Date of Issue: 11/26/2020

    Ratings:
    PRIVATE PILOT
    AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND

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    1. That Kyle is address opt out, need the obituary full name to check on whether that name was the pilot. For what it is worth, news report linked below includes a statement about ratings.

      Delvin Major, Chief Investigator of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority of The Bahamas (AAIA) stated that “the pilot was in possession of a valid USA commercial pilot licence with appropriate ratings for the aircraft as well as a valid medical certificate”.

      http://www.tribune242.com/news/2021/apr/19/son-dead-and-father-hospital-after-bimini-crash/?news

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    2. You are correct about the new story, but as mentioned there are only four (4) Kyle Wade entries. While you are correct about the address opt-out, that does not hide the pilot certificate(s). The ONLY one of the four who is a rated pilot just happens to have a middle name of Andre - which is the same name as the father.

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  8. Big impact forces - notice that three blade props and the long forward-protruding engines you expect to see forward of the wing leading edge are not there.

    If the 130 knot ADS-B reading after the pavement ran out on runway 10 departure is true, the crash probably wasn't power loss. Flat entry suggests it was not spatial disorientation.

    Incorrect takeoff trim after dropping passengers seems likely.

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    1. Well, in fact, it was very likely spatial disorientation, especially for a non instrument rated pilot, at night, no horizon, in a very high performance aircraft. Check out the report on this site, 12-29-2016 (I believe), departing Cleveland Burke LakeFront (KBKL) airport, a rated pilot in a jet.
      Condolences to all.

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  9. Was well maintained. For sale ad:

    https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/201878671/n827rd-1976-piper-navajo-chieftain

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  10. One would hope that wealthy parents reading this report would hesitate before gifting their child 70K or so for quickie certificates. If their child wants to fly, let them do it the hard way and gift them instead a better chance of surviving the consequential activity of flying.

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    1. "One would hope that wealthy parents reading this report would hesitate before gifting their child 70K or so for quickie certificates."

      Where is your evidence that the pilot's training was gifted or that he got "quickie certificates"? If you think someone else picking up the tab for training and that accelerated training is bad, you better let every military pilot ever know that, champ.

      "If their child wants to fly, let them do it the hard way and gift them instead a better chance of surviving the consequential activity of flying."

      No evidence of your claim being remotely correct.

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    2. " If you think someone else picking up the tab for training and that accelerated training is bad, you better let every military pilot ever know that, champ."

      What the hell are you talking about, "champ." There is no "accelerated" military aviation training unless it is war time, and the last time we saw that was during WWII. There have never been any shortcut syllabus military training programs since then, "champ."

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    3. Navy/Marine Corps primary training is 22 weeks (5 mo.)
      What percentage of civilian private pilot students take their checkride faster than that, champ?

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    4. 3 months, civilian, paid for by working for a phone company (1971).

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  11. Dark night takeoff over water. Hmm...

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    1. This. It is impossible to explain to a low-time pilot how demanding and potentially dangerous a takeoff like this is. Add the fact that a night takeoff usually means that the pilot has probably been up since early that morning and is fatigued.

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    2. "It is impossible to explain to a low-time pilot how demanding and potentially dangerous a takeoff like this is."

      So every flight instructor ever has failed to effectively teach the dangers of spatial disorientation? How exactly did you determine that?

      "Add the fact that a night takeoff usually means that the pilot has probably been up since early that morning and is fatigued."

      Assumes facts not in evidence.

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    3. I was doing night currency work in an SR20 the other day and took off unexpectedly into a black hole at a southern VA airport I'd never been to. I'm IFR rated and current so I was able to switch to my focus to the flight director, but it caught me by surprise and would have been tough for a non IR pilot.

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  12. Seems the pilot has suffered multiple losses of loved ones recently. Very tragic. Hope he recovers mentally and physically from the loss of loved ones and will provide explanation of what happened.

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  13. Recent N827RD flights included 8 April flight that looks like practice and April 9 thru 11 Bahamas trip:

    https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N827RD/history/20210408/1645Z/KTMB/KTMB

    https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N827RD/history/20210409/1916Z/KTMB/L%2023.82306%20-76.52335

    https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N827RD/history/20210411/1540Z

    https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N827RD/history/20210417/0010Z/KTMB/MYBS

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  14. Mapping the crash location coordinates given in the AAIA statement shows a position north of mid-field, not off the end of the runway.

    If the AAIA reported coordinates are accurate, the crash may have just been an unsuccessful attempt to make an immediate return to RW 10.

    "The aircraft came to rest at coordinates N25° 42.4 and W079° 15.9"

    Pinned on Map:
    http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&q=loc:25.707+-79.265

    AIAA Statement:
    https://twitter.com/OurNewsRev/status/1383478528650342405/

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  15. The father was flying the plane, NOT the son Kyle. The reporters failed miserably to state that. Yes, the son recently got his pilot's license but it was not him flying.
    Yes I know the family.

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    1. Air Accident Investigation Authority of The Bahamas - Chief Investigator of Air Accidents, Captain Delvin Major, in a sworn declaration said Kyle was the pilot in command of this accident aircraft.

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    2. Then someone may be lying. The father's own words are he was the one flying. Whichever it is, still a sad case.

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    3. I'm not saying anything about anyone lying, but it is likely the father would sat he was flying the plane no matter what.

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    4. The CCTV cameras don't lie.

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    5. You have access to the CCTV? Let's see.

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  16. What a tragedy! May Kyle Rest In Peace.

    If the father, Andre Wade, was flying the airplane, was he qualified to do so? At the very least, a Multi Engine Land and Instrument rating would be required to fly the aircraft under the conditions of the accident flight. On Friday night, April 16th, the moon over Miami, approximately 55 miles to the west, was a waxing crescent moon, giving very little light. The night over the waters surrounding the Biminis would have been quite dark.

    A search of the FAA Pilot Database shows no one by the name of Andre Wade holding a pilot's license. There are six Andrew Wades listed, and only one, Andrew T. Wade, seems to have the required airplane ratings: SEL, MEL, Instument.

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    1. Andre is his middle name not his first. He is an extremely experienced pilot flying on and off for the past 40 years. I understand it's natural to want to know what happened, but please wait for the investigation to unfold before making inaccurate assumptions. The family needs prayers as the tragedy of this runs deep in many directions.

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    2. Miami Pilot CHRISTOPHER ANDRE WADE

      https://www.whitepages.com/name/Kyle-Wade/Miami-FL/PN3VoBlmom8

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  17. It was very shocking and so sad to hear of Kyle's tragic death, so unexpected and sudden. Kyle was so full of life and such a jovial person. Whatever happened, we hope Mr. Wade fully recovers and that the family finds peace in knowing that Kyle is now with his mother. The Wades are in our prayers.

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  18. "had just received his pilot license" seems to be a frequent factor nowadays.

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  19. Power loss and attempted return to land may be indicated by the AAIA reported coordinates.

    Some engine data was recorded and stored in N827RD's JPI EDM 760 Engine monitor instrument if it was working properly. That can give the investigators useful data from the accident flight for exhaust gas temperature and cylinder head temperature, which are related to power output.

    NTSB investigations ERA18FA206 and WPR11FA125 provide examples of JPI EDM 760 Engine Monitor data recoveries and evaluations:

    https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40481227&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Engine%20Data%20Monitor%20-%20Specialist%27s%20Factual%20Report-Master.PDF

    https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40358851&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Engine%20Monitor%20Data%20Plots-Master.PDF

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    1. For sale listing shows JPI EDM 760 Engine monitor in N827RD:

      https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/201878671/n827rd-1976-piper-navajo-chieftain

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    2. That makes sense. My bet is on some sort of mechanical failure or fluke. Andre is way too good of a pilot for anything else. My heart and soul goes out to the family who has just lost such an amazing young man. Wishes for the father for a full recovery.

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  20. Bimini used to have some right nasty potholes in it- maybe smacking one or two of those at night on takeoff led to some distractions?

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  21. No report in CAROL as of today's date, Bahamas Authority still working on a preliminary report, which will be accessible from:

    https://www.baaid.org/accidents

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