NBAA is honoring Sydney Bosmans for her quick thinking and professionalism that saved the lives of two passengers from the fatal Hop-A-Jet aircraft crash in February in Naples, Florida. Bosmans will receive the Above and Beyond Award for Heroic Achievement from NBAA during a special reception held during NBAA-BACE in October in Las Vegas.
Both pilots perished in the February 9 crash of a Bombardier Challenger 604 that was en route from Columbus, Ohio. The pilots had reported a dual-engine flameout and attempted to land at Naples Municipal Airport but reported they would not make it to the airport. Instead, the aircraft touched down on the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 and continued through the breakdown lane into a grass-shoulder area before colliding with a concrete sound barrier.
Once it came to rest, Bosmans realized the main cabin door was stuck from the impact and the over-wing exit block by the post-crash fire. She then directed the two passengers through a small, externally accessible baggage door at the rear of the cabin.
The three were able to exit and jumped out underneath the aircraft’s left engine nacelle. Moving away from the aircraft, they reached safety moments before a secondary explosion consumed the aft fuselage in flames, NBAA said.
“Faced with a harrowing, life-threatening crisis, Sydney Bosmans maintained calm and clear thinking and drew upon her professional training to quickly identify a means of escape that saved three lives,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Safety is at the forefront of our industry, and Sydney’s actions demonstrate how safety is also the paramount duty for all cabin personnel. We are pleased to present her with NBAA’s Above and Beyond Award for Heroic Achievement.”
NBAA’s Safety Committee created the award in 2020 to recognize “individuals whose substantial actions avoided injury, loss of life or catastrophic business aircraft damage.”