A mid-air crisis unfolded over Belize on Thursday, April 17, when an American citizen attempted to hijack a domestic flight. A fellow passenger fatally shot the man. The incident occurred aboard a Tropic Air Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EX. According to the Associated Press, the plane had 14 passengers and two crew members on board and was en route from Corozal to San Pedro.
Shortly after takeoff, 49-year-old Akinyela Sawa Taylor, a U.S. military veteran, brandished a knife and demanded the pilot divert the plane out of the country. In the ensuing chaos, Taylor stabbed the pilot and two passengers. One of the victims sustained critical injuries. As the aircraft circled erratically over the coastline near Belize City, running low on fuel, one of the stabbed passengers, with a licensed firearm, shot Taylor in the chest, effectively ending the threat.
Emergency Landing Averts Greater Tragedy
The pilot managed to land the plane safely at Philip Goldson International Airport in Ladyville, near Belize City. Emergency services, including a rescue helicopter, were on standby, prepared for a potential crash landing. All injured individuals were transported to a local hospital, where Taylor was pronounced dead. The critically injured passenger remains under medical care.
Authorities are investigating how Taylor, previously denied entry into Belize, managed to re-enter the country and board the flight with a weapon. The incident has raised concerns about security protocols at smaller regional airports. These facilities often lack comprehensive passenger screening. Per ABC News, Belize’s Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, stated that the matter would be discussed at the next National Security Council meeting.
Tropic Air CEO Maximillian Greif praised the pilot’s actions as “nothing short of heroic.” Greif emphasized the rigorous training pilots undergo to handle such emergencies. The U.S. Embassy in Belize is collaborating with local authorities in the ongoing investigation.
