BASSETERRE, St. Kitts- THREE of the four passengers aboard an aircraft that crashed in the sea between St. Thomas and St. Croix early morning, Saturday, (Oct. 13) are still to be found.
The previous publications that stated that all the passengers were found were proven to be false.
The St. Maarten News Network’s website had stated that the captain and passengers were found alive by rescue workers in St. Croix and that the “five passengers” were found drifting in a raft that was prepared for them by the pilot while the pilot swam to a nearby key.
However, after an intense massive search following word of the crash, a Coast Guard helicopter located Valarie Jackson-Thompson in the water Saturday afternoon and vectored in a marine unit from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources to rescue her.
The three others who are still missing are well-known veteran pilot Kirby Hodge of Anguilla and passengers Rachel Hamilton and attorney Darwin Carr.
The Virgin Island Daily News reported that Government House spokesman Jean Greaux Jr. confirmed Monday night (Oct. 15) that Thompson told authorities that the flight aboard the Piper Aztec N-5553Y had appeared to be a normal one with just minor turbulence along the way until she felt the aircraft hit the sea.
The news website reported that Greaux stated that when the plane hit the water, the aircraft was intact, also that Hodge was seated in the pilot's seat; Carr was in the co-pilot's seat; Hamilton was seated behind Carr; and Thompson was seated behind the pilot.
Thompson said the plane quickly began taking on water, and because it was dark, she did not know who was close to her but one of the men pushed her from the aircraft; she is also unsure what happened to the others after that because the plane was sinking fast, Greaux said.
When Thompson was spotted, she had been swimming and struggling to stay afloat in the water without a life vest for close to nine hours.
Based on Thompson's reports to authorities, she had been in the water wearing a blue shirt and saw planes flying over and heard boats nearby but none of the search vessels saw her.
By the time the Coast Guard cutter took notice of her in the water, she was only yards away from a DPNR search crew that was on the water.
“The response time from when she was spotted to when we were able to get her out was very short because they were so close to her,” Greaux said. “The seas were really rough, making it difficult to see much out there.”
Greaux said getting information from Thompson took some time, but even after the initial reports, she could not confirm that the others got out. The objective of the mission was to consider the possibility of their survival and continue the search and rescue efforts.
Thompson remains hospitalized at Schneider Hospital in good condition but is under observation after being in the water for such a long time.
Greaux said Monday night that with the Coast Guard suspending its search Monday evening, the local authorities, as well as private entities, have shifted the mission from rescue to recovery mode.
“There is a lot of interest from the community to assist in whatever way possible, and we are going to continue so we can help to bring some closure,” he said.
Hodge's twin-engine Piper Aztec aircraft was said to have been reported overdue at about 7:50 a.m. Saturday.
Hodge is also an entrepreneur, being the owner of Rainbow International Airlines and is said to be responsible for air evacuation within the region and delivering newspapers to the island of St. Croix from St. Thomas and was returning to St. Thomas from St. Croix after picking up several passengers.
