A mechanical issue occurred with a seaplane off St. Croix Wednesday but passengers and witnesses say initial reports make a very minor situation seem much worse than it was.
A 3:40 p.m. Seaborne aircraft issued a distress call and needed to be towed in. Five police officers, including Deputy Police Chief Edmund Walters, were returning to St. Croix from a VIPD consent decree hearing on St. Thomas.
Police Commissioner Delroy Richards said Wednesday evening that it would be a wild exaggeration to portray the situation as an emergency and reports of potential injuries were incorrect. Richards said he was on the Seaborne flight immediately after the one with the engine issue, saw it towed in and spoke with officers who were on the flight.
“The passengers really didn’t experience anything. The plane landed on the water like it is supposed to. But due to a problem with one prop it was towed into shore. There was no danger or anything that seemed wrong during the flight. And those planes can fly safely if one of the two engines fails,” Richards said.
Richards said he felt the more important story was that the consent decree hearing went very well.
“It was really good news … a milestone,” Richards said. “The judge said we made considerable progress.”
In a statement issued Wednesday by Seaborne spokesperson Angelia Hanne, the airline confirmed most of the details reported by witnesses.
“This afternoon, as Seaborne Airlines flight No. 174 traveling from St. Thomas to St. Croix was approaching St. Croix, the crew received indication of a possible technical issue and following proper and standard safety procedures, conducted a safe landing at St. Croix’s seaplane base without incident,” Hanne said in the statement.
She confirmed there were no injuries.
“Safety is always our number one priority and the team followed protocol and all is fine,” she said.
Editor’s note: This story has been edited since its original posting to include the statement from the airline.
Plane was towed in by Nick Rudolph via his dinghy after receiving mayday call.