The "Plane Crash In Paradise" Story

The curved line shows the path of the plane that crashed

It was an ordinary day.  7:30 AM Saturday morning, May 5, 2012.  When I got up this morning I took my computer outside to the table on the deck and started watching a helicopter, light planes and what appears to be search vessels circling off the coast of St. Martin Area. The area of Orient Beach and Pinel Island are easily visible from the villa that Carol and I have rented this year for our vacation to the Caribbean.  Off in the distance to the left you can see Anguilla and to the right a brief view of Tintamarre Island.  I pulled up the two forums that I read and on TravelTalkOnline (TTOL) there was a thread that had been started about five minutes before that gave a link to a news flash about a plane crash that had taken place early this morning.  I grabbed my camera and stuck the 300mm lens on it and started to watch the planes and boats in the distance behind and to the right of Pinel Island.  According to the latest news report later in the day, a TAI Air Ambulance Service Piper Cheyenne III took off from L'Esperance Airport in Grand Case at 2:39 AM.  It was in the air for about five minutes when the aircraft burst into flames and went down.  Planes taking off from Grand Case airport fly between the small mountains that are directly to our left as we look out over the water.  It must have been shortly after the plane had cleared these mountains that it burst into flames and went down in the waters off of St. Martin.  Seems that a 30 year old tourist from Cyprus, a passenger on the cruise ship "Allure of the Seas", was having chest pains and was transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center.  While at the Center, he suffered a more severe heart attack and transportation was needed to Martinique, where they could handle his problems.  An Air Ambulance was sent from Martinique and landed at the Prince Juliana International Airport.  Because of mechanical problems, it could not return, so the patient was transported to Grand Case L'Esperance Airport and placed on the TAI Air Ambulance.  Also on the plane was the doctor, nurse and the pilot.  All perished in the crash.  After crashing, a search was set up in the Pinel Island, French Cul de Sac, Tintamarre area.  That is what I can see from my rear deck.  Divers searched for quite some time, but the search was hampered by sightings of tiger sharks in the area.  Eventually they did find parts of the plane and some body parts.  More reports will be available in the future.  Sad day for aviation in St. Martin and for the families of the people killed in the crash.  Hope I don't witness another accident again on this little bit of paradise. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Pinel Island as seen from Villa Jeluca

Search plane and boats behind Pinel Island

Hills that the plane travels through from the airport