Blackhawk International Airways
Encyclopedia
Blackhawk International Airways was an aircraft charter rental and leasing company based at New Providence
in the Bahamas. Blackhawk also leases its aircraft. Blackhawk is owned by Gilbert Chacón and his son Erik, who founded the company in 1991. The small charter and tour business, which recently moved to a small office next to the Lantana Airport, was at one time based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport
. But a company called Skystream, whose corporate address is the same as the Pembroke Pines home of Gilbert Chacón, is listed as the owner of the plane(s).
The Florida Public Records Office reports "Blackhawk International Airways Corp. was incorporated on Tuesday, March 05, 1991 in the State of FL and is currently not active."
four times before, including once for violating safety standards and once for failing to comply with maintenance standards. The 1999 charge took the company to task for failing to test its employees for illegal drug use.
died along with the pilot and seven others, including make up artists and record label executives in a Cessna 402
B (N8097W) crashed on August 25, 2001 at Marsh Harbour
, Abaco Islands
, The Bahamas
. The pilot
, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and had traces of cocaine
and alcohol
in his system. Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death
lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. The Cessna 402B, exploded on impact just 200 feet beyond the end of a runway at Marsh Harbour International Airport on Abaco Island at 6:45 p.m. The craft, which was bound for Opa-Locka Airport
, just northwest of Miami, was apparently overloaded and suffered engine failure upon liftoff. Blackhawk was listed in Customs documents as the official operator while Skystream was the plane's owner. Others killed in the accident included Aaliyah makeup artist Eric Foreman, 29, and Virgin Records
representative Douglas Kratz, 28. Two other women and three other men, including the pilot, died in the crash; another male passenger died in Nassau, where he was awaiting airlift to a Miami hospital.
New Providence
New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...
in the Bahamas. Blackhawk also leases its aircraft. Blackhawk is owned by Gilbert Chacón and his son Erik, who founded the company in 1991. The small charter and tour business, which recently moved to a small office next to the Lantana Airport, was at one time based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport
Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport
Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is a general aviation airport located within the city limits of Fort Lauderdale, in Broward County, Florida, United States, five miles north of downtown Fort Lauderdale...
. But a company called Skystream, whose corporate address is the same as the Pembroke Pines home of Gilbert Chacón, is listed as the owner of the plane(s).
The Florida Public Records Office reports "Blackhawk International Airways Corp. was incorporated on Tuesday, March 05, 1991 in the State of FL and is currently not active."
FAA Issues
Blackhawk had been fined by the FAAFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
four times before, including once for violating safety standards and once for failing to comply with maintenance standards. The 1999 charge took the company to task for failing to test its employees for illegal drug use.
Incidents
American R&B singer AaliyahAaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
died along with the pilot and seven others, including make up artists and record label executives in a Cessna 402
Cessna 402
The Cessna 401 and 402 are series of 6 to 10 place, light twin, piston engine aircraft. This line was manufactured by Cessna from 1966 to 1985 under the name Utiliner and Businessliner...
B (N8097W) crashed on August 25, 2001 at Marsh Harbour
Marsh Harbour
Marsh Harbour is a town in Abaco Islands, Bahamas, with a population of 5,314.With more than five thousand residents, Marsh Harbour is the third largest town in The Bahamas, and the main focus of tourism in the Abacos. Marsh Harbour is a shipbuilding center, but tourism accounts for most of its...
, Abaco Islands
Abaco Islands
The Abaco Islands lie in the northern Bahamas and comprise the main islands of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, together with the smaller Wood Cay, Elbow Cay, Lubbers Quarters Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay, Castaway Cay, Man-o-War Cay, Stranger's Cay, Umbrella Cay, Walker's Cay, Little Grand...
, The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. The pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and had traces of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
in his system. Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death
Wrongful death claim
Wrongful death is a claim in common law jurisdictions against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as enumerated by statute...
lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. The Cessna 402B, exploded on impact just 200 feet beyond the end of a runway at Marsh Harbour International Airport on Abaco Island at 6:45 p.m. The craft, which was bound for Opa-Locka Airport
Opa-locka Airport
Opa-locka Airport , also known as Opa-locka Executive Airport, is a general aviation airport and joint civil-military airfield 10 miles north of Downtown Miami, primarily in metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States, with a portion within the city proper of Opa-locka.The airport's control tower...
, just northwest of Miami, was apparently overloaded and suffered engine failure upon liftoff. Blackhawk was listed in Customs documents as the official operator while Skystream was the plane's owner. Others killed in the accident included Aaliyah makeup artist Eric Foreman, 29, and Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
representative Douglas Kratz, 28. Two other women and three other men, including the pilot, died in the crash; another male passenger died in Nassau, where he was awaiting airlift to a Miami hospital.