Is flying a single engine airplane over water to the Bahamas safe?  This is a question many have asked; and the answer is “it depends”. 

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The fact is, thousands of pilots fly single engine airplanes to the Bahamas every year without incident; however, flying over water is not without risk, but neither is flying over a heavily wooded forest, dense urban areas, or over mountainous terrain.  The good news is that the FAA fatal accident rate has declined to 0.76 per 100,000 hours in 2018. 

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The real answer to “is it safe to fly single engine plane to the Bahamas?” comes down to risk management, and being prepared.  With only a little flight planning, your time over water outside of gliding distance to land can be as little as 30 minutes; even during that 30 minutes there are frequently boats of all sizes that would be in gliding range.  Still, this is no excuse for not being prepared.

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Some pilots worry that should they be forced to land in the water they and their passengers will not be able to exit the airplane; a little research finds that in water landings 90% of the time people were able to exit the aircraft successfully.  For us, this an acceptable risk, however the FAA also states that all you need to bring is a life vest for everyone on board, which we do not feel is adequate and why we strive to provide you with the highest level of preparedness and proper survival equipment.

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Take a look at image below. This is a photo of people in the water with ONLY life vest from 500ft.

(photo is from http://www.equipped.org/pp/pic303.htm)

While most of us will never be in this situation, "luck favors the well prepared".  At a minimum, you will need a life vest. Having raft makes a lot sense. Being in a raft makes it lot easier for passing airplanes or boats to see you, and a raft can help keep you and your passengers safely out of the water.  

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The Bahama Pilots Association can help you easily be prepared!  We have the knowledge and experience to give you and your passengers peace of mind.

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Contact us today for more information and to find out how we can help you to prepare for your trip!