At least five people were killed Monday after a Mexican Navy King Air 350i medical aircraft crashed into Galveston Bay near Galveston, Texas, while conducting a medical transport mission, officials said. The twin-engine turboprop was carrying eight people — four crew members and four civilians, according to multiple outlets — when it went down in foggy conditions during its approach to Galveston Scholes International Airport. Two people were rescued alive, while another remains missing, according to Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy.
At least 5 killed after Mexican Navy plane on medical mission crashes in Texas >> https://t.co/Qvv4ossZVL pic.twitter.com/PVNfEnVjfK
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The aircraft was operating for the Mexican Navy in coordination with the Michou y Mau Foundation, a nonprofit organization that facilitates emergency transport for Mexican children with severe burns, officials said. U.S. Coast Guard watch standers received a report of the crash at about 3:17 p.m. local time and responded with a rescue boat and helicopter. Local police, fire crews, beach patrol and other emergency responders also assisted at the scene. Video and eyewitness accounts showed the wreckage partially submerged in the bay as responders worked in low visibility.
Flight tracking data showed the aircraft departed from Mérida in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula before heading north to Galveston. Authorities said heavy fog was present in the area at the time of the crash. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, with the Texas Department of Public Safety leading the probe and officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board assisting. Mexico’s Navy said it is coordinating with the Mexican Consulate in Houston and extended condolences to the families of those killed.
Truly a sad situation! The wreckage was initially found by a father and son out fishing in the bay. They called in the report and approximate location of the crash while they were helping the two survivors into their boat. The wreckage has since been pulled out of the water and the last body recovered.
The Galveston weather this time of year can be very tricky. Not to second guess, but they would have probably been wiser to divert to Hobby airport, about 20 miles inland and finish the trip to the hospital in an ambulance. In the winter and early spring, it is common for Galveston Island to be socked in with sea fog, but a few miles inland it can be partly cloudy and VFR. We once drove to Galveston in early January when the weather in Houston was sunny and warm. As we crossed the causeway onto the island (about 1:00 PM) we drove into a virtual wall of fog. By the time we reached the beach along the seawall, the visibility was less that 1/10 mile and quite chilly.