Cessna 402 - Accidents

Accidents

American R&B singer Aaliyah died along with the pilot and seven others, including makeup artists and record label executives, when the Cessna 402B they were flying on, registered N8097W, crashed on August 25, 2001 at Marsh Harbour, Abaco Islands, The Bahamas. The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. The Cessna 402B exploded on impact just 200 feet beyond the end of a runway at Marsh Harbour International Airport on Abaco Island at 6:45 p.m., Rahming said. The craft, which was bound for Opa-Locka Airport, just northwest of Miami, was apparently overloaded and suffered engine failure upon liftoff, he said. Blackhawk was listed in Customs documents as the official operator while Skystream is listed as the plane's owner. Others killed in the accident included Aaliyah makeup artist Eric Foreman, 29, and Virgin Records representative Douglas Kratz, 28, according to Rahming. Two other women and three other men, including the pilot, died in the crash; another male passenger died early Sunday morning in Nassau, where he was awaiting airlift to a Miami hospital.