Andrea Cooper

excerpt:

Walt and Donyelle Wilkins lugged suitcases and snorkeling gear to the far end of the Fort Lauderdale airport, searching for the Air Sunshine counter. It was humid, and they were hot, tired and a little cranky the day after their wedding.

The service had gone beautifully. Some 300 guests had celebrated with them at First Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina. But afterward, as they got into an open horse-drawn carriage for a ride down the city's famed Battery, it began to rain. Donyelle began to fret -- until the largest rainbow she had ever seen arched over the harbor. A good omen, they both believed.

They finally found the airline counter, and the agent asked them their weight -- they would soon find out why. Out on the tarmac was a rickety-looking twin-engine Cessna 402C. This isn't a plane, Donyelle thought. It's a flying minivan. "I'm not getting on," she told Walt.

He rubbed her back. "C'mon," he said. "We've got to get to Abaco. It'll be okay." They'd both been looking forward to staying at a friend's condo on the small Bahamian island. So, reluctantly, Donyelle climbed the steps and ducked into the cramped cabin.

The pilot crawled in through a large window on the left side and strapped himself into a chair tilted back so far Donyelle had to pivot her knees into the aisle. As he taxied for takeoff, she buried her head in her hands.

Seated across from her, Walt saw how anxious she was. So did the passenger in the co-pilot's seat, Constantinos Francisco, who reassured Donyelle that everything was just fine. His wife, Bethany, holding their one-year-old daughter, Zoie, sat behind Walt. Behind them Diane Parker-Diaz, 33, shepherded three little kids, Andre, eight, Elisia, five, and their cousin Diante, four. They were headed to her brother's wedding at her childhood home on Abaco. The kids wiggled excitedly in their seat belts, anticipating seeing their grandma.

The plane soared up over the ocean and climbed to a cruising altitude of 3,500 feet. The passengers settled in as the plane droned on through a tranquil Caribbean sky. Then, 50 minutes into the flight, ten minutes from Abaco, Walt noticed smoke snaking out of the right engine. Oil began flowing onto the wing. Seconds later, there was a blast. It tore a jagged hole in the engine cowling. Parts dangled from wires, and debris fell into the sea.

Amazingly, no one screamed. "What's happened?" Donyelle asked, struggling to stay calm. The pilot did not answer. The plane listed left as he fought to regain control. The right engine was silent. The left roared. Donyelle strained to hear the pilot.

"I've done that. I've done that," he said into his radio. "We're losing pressure. I'm trying to hold on. I don't know how long I can hold it."

Donyelle burst into tears. Across the aisle, Bethany Francisco hummed quietly, trying to soothe baby Zoie. Diane Parker-Diaz, overseeing the three children, was also calm. "I've flown this flight a million times," she told Donyelle. "I can see Abaco. Everything's going to be fine."

Donyelle caught Bethany's eye, and in a moment of empathy, the two women began reciting the Lord's Prayer. Walt reached over for his bride's hand.

Seconds later the plane hit the ocean. The sound was like a cannon shell blasting armor plate. The Cessna tore through waves, finally rocking to a standstill in the rolling seas.

The pilot opened his window, and turned to the passengers, his face badly bruised. Apparently in shock, he sat without speaking.

Shaken, but keeping his cool, Walt unfastened Donyelle's seat belt and struggled to pull life jackets from beneath their seats, but the jackets were stuck. The plane had begun to sink, and Donyelle wasn't moving. Walt picked her up, carried her to the pilot's window and tossed her out. Constantinos handed him a life jacket and he threw it to Donyelle. Then he jumped into the sea after her.

Mad Scramble

There was a mad scramble inside the plane. Bethany Francisco managed to escape through the main door with Zoie in her arms. Once in the water, she fought to keep the baby from slipping from her grasp. Spotting Donyelle bobbing near the plane's nose, Bethany kicked through the swells and handed her baby to the other woman for safekeeping. Then she grasped Donyelle's life jacket herself.

Broken pieces of the plane floated everywhere. Walt couldn't tell if everyone had made it out. Nearby, the pilot thrashed and screamed, "I'm going to drown." But Constantinos calmed him, telling him to float on his back.

As Walt looked back at the plane, he saw Andre and Elisia standing on the wing, shrieking. Though they had on life vests, the vests weren't inflated. Water was rising to their knees.

Walt swam to the plane. Waves sweeping over the wings pushed him down. As he fumbled to inflate the children's life vests, the plane began to list and Andre and Elisia jumped on him. "You're going to drown him!" Donyelle screamed in warning. Walt finally managed to grasp their arms and tow them away. When he looked back, the plane was lying on its side like a dead sea gull. Then it began a slow slide to the bottom.

Just two minutes had passed since they'd hit the water.

At Air Station Miami, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mike Eagle was completing some paperwork when he got the call. A plane had ditched in the water west of Abaco. District command instructed Eagle to launch a Falcon jet, along with the HH-65 Dolphin, a short-range helicopter. The Coast Guard would also launch a Jayhawk copter from Air Station Clearwater's satellite location on Andros Island in the Bahamas.

Aboard the Dolphin, Petty Officer Ryan White rehearsed possible scenarios. The jet would pinpoint the wreck, but at that distance the chopper would have only 15 minutes of fuel to burn for the rescue operation -- if there were any survivors.

Donyelle held baby Zoie tightly. They'd been in the water for just a few minutes when suddenly an Air Sunshine plane roared overhead and dropped life jackets. Constantinos managed to grab two, one for the pilot, one for his family, and Bethany took back her baby.

Walt now clung to Donyelle's jacket, but they'd been separated from Andre and Elisia. After a moment, he and Donyelle spotted them across the rolling waves. The sight was heartbreaking. Their mother, outstretched arms draped around her children's legs, floated facedown in the water. Her body rose and fell with the waves.

Walt could hardly breathe. Those poor children, he thought. There's a plane above us -- it will send a boat. We just have to keep the kids calm until it arrives, he told Donyelle.

Constantinos had another idea and urged them all to swim to shore. Donyelle was sure the kids would never make it. They were already exhausted. Their teeth chattered, and they were gulping salt water. Their life jackets were far too big for them and with no buckle around the waist, they were in danger of slipping through.

Donyelle spoke to Walt in a low voice. "We aren't leaving these children," she said. "I couldn't live if something happened to them."

"Absolutely," Walt agreed. "We're all going to get out of here." He had to believe that.