On Thursday, April 17th, a shocking incident occurred in Belize when an American national, Akinyela Taylor, 49, hijacked a Tropic Air flight en route from Corozal to San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. Taylor threatened the passengers with a knife and inflicted severe injuries on three individuals, including the pilot. The injured victims—San Pedro businessman Fitzgerald Brown, Tropic Air employee Franchesco Castaneda, and Pilot Captain Howell Grange—were rushed to hospitals in Belize City following the life-threatening situation. The ordeal ended with Taylor being shot when the plane finally landed at the Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA).
Brown and Castaneda were the first to be released after one or two days of medical care. Captain Grange required further treatment but was released on Wednesday, April 23rd. After his release, Grange went to church to thank God and later shared his horrifying experience with the media.
What was supposed to be a routine 8AM flight lasting about 20 minutes ended unexpectedly at 10:30AM when it landed at PGIA. Taylor had attempted to divert the plane to the United States in a desperate bid to return home. During the hijacking, he stabbed Brown in the neck and back, and when Castaneda tried to intervene, he was also stabbed in the head, chest, and arms. Taylor then went to the cockpit and demanded that Captain Grange change the flight’s course to Texas. To keep him calm, Grange agreed and asked Taylor where he wanted to go.
Afterwards, he began communicating with the air traffic control tower in Spanish to make Taylor believe they were flying over Mexico. One passenger recalled Grange announcing they were heading to the U.S., but this was far from the truth, as the small Cessna Caravan cannot cover that distance without refuelling several times. Instead, Grange flew over Belizean airspace. He circled over central Belize and then headed out to sea to further convince Taylor that they were indeed on their way to Texas. “I was changing altitude every minute and stayed over water as much as I could,” he said. “I asked the control tower to get someone to speak in an American accent. They got someone and so when we were landing, he thought he was in the US.” Grange reported that the plane was very low on fuel by this time and needed to land as soon as possible.
However, it was at that moment that Taylor realized they were not landing in the U.S. and began attacking Grange with a knife. The pilot struggled to keep the plane stable while under attack. Once they touched down on the runway, he shut down the engine. At that point, gunshots were heard inside the aircraft.
Brown, who had been sitting nearby and was bleeding from his injuries, seized the opportunity to shoot Taylor with his licensed firearm. Reports from inside the plane indicated that Taylor had to be shot a second time before he was subdued. Meanwhile, Grange had already endured ten stab wounds and was bleeding profusely. The other passengers opened the emergency exit as the plane landed and jumped out. Meanwhile, first responders and security personnel rushed to the scene.
Grange was airlifted by helicopter to Belize Healthcare Partners, where he was induced into a coma. Brown was also in critical condition, as the stab wounds had reportedly affected his lungs. Castaneda was in critical condition as well and required immediate medical attention. The other passengers received assistance and were taken to safety.
Castaneda was released from medical care on Saturday, April 19, and Brown was discharged the following day, on Sunday. Grange required a few more days in the hospital and was discharged on Wednesday, greeted with applause from the hospital staff, friends, colleagues, and family members.
All passengers from the flight were commended for their survival throughout the ordeal. Brown, Castaneda, and Captain Grange are considered heroes, with Captain Grange receiving praise for his professionalism and effective handling of the situation when the lives of his passengers were in danger.
