The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority said yesterday it is investigating an incident in which the aircraft passenger door of a Flamingo Air flight opened in flight.

The aircraft had departed Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) with 17 people onboard en route to Staniel Cay, Exuma.

Authorities said the incident took place around 8:30 a.m. and involved a Beech 99 aircraft with Bahamas registration C6-MMK.

The plane returned safely to LPIA without further incident, investigators said.

A video showing the aircraft with its boarding ladder deployed while the plane was flying over the ocean near land circulated widely on social media yesterday, raising alarm among many.

A Flamingo Air statement that was later shared said, "We understand that your safety is our top priority. We are deeply sorry for the recent incident that caused concern among our valued passengers.

"We were just as shocked as everyone else when we saw that video of one of our aircraft's boarding ladder being deployed while in flight.

"We want you to know that we take this matter very seriously. Our dedicated management, along with our skilled mechanical crew, immediately launched an investigation to understand what went wrong.

"Upon careful inspection, we found that the reason for the ladder's deployment was a failure to properly fasten the latch. This, combined with the turbulence that all planes endure during flight, led to the ladder becoming detached."

The airline continued, "We want to emphasize that at no point was the safety of our aircraft or passengers compromised. The incident was indeed a minor issue, but we take it seriously nonetheless."

Flamingo Air said the individual responsible for the mishap has been reprimanded and it is implementing a plan to introduce [refresher] courses for all employees to ensure that such an incident does not reoccur.

"We want to reassure the public that safety is paramount for us at Flamingo Air. We are truly sorry for any concern or unease this incident may have caused.

"Rest assured, we are committed to making sure every flight with us a safe and pleasant experience."

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