He had good contacts and we reached out to them and they brought their private assets, and thats what we were doing.. So, we will be looking at the circumstances of both accidents for similarities and depending on our investigation may make other safety recommendations.. Byron Ferguson is not only one of the South's top bowhunters, he is also one of the country's premier trick archers - capable of impaling a silver dollar-sized disc in flight with an aluminum arrow from his longbow. It cannot happen. Our Ferguson Hunter Elite is a radical reflex-deflex longbow. But what I would say: at the earliest opportunity that the officers were able to send divers down, that was done.. - J. Morgan Smith, Traditional Bowhunter, I have only observed the late Howard Hill accomplish feats similar to those of Byron. The door on the old Aztruck is straightforward. He is the son of former media personality Agnes Ferguson. Search and rescue was subsequently launched by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Royal Bahamas Police Force, U.S. Coast Guard and BASRA, said Dorsett in a statement. I've watched him hold bowhunters in fascination with his easy Alabama manner while he made his longbow talk and his arrows sing. CBS. NASSAU, BAHAMAS More than a year after missing pilot Byron Fergusons aircraft plunged into waters off western New Providence, investigators of the Air Accident and Investigation Department (AAID) are reviewing engine maintenance records to finalize their report on the incident, according to Chief Investigator Delvin Major. Now famous for his coin trick, Byron once shot eight dimes in a row out of the air. When Byron performed at the National Game Fair on the grounds of Chambord Castle in France, he was the most popular attraction and earned the title "King of the Show". The Worlds GREATEST Traditional ARCHER! Byron Ferguson's - YouTube Nassau - Very little is known about this aviation incident which some believe has caused the disappearance of pilot Byron Ferguson and his aircraft on Thursday evening. Longbows are traceable to the cavemen and have been praised in songs, poems and stories since the dawn of mankind. Byron Ferguson is widely recognized as one of the greatest traditional archers alive. At a press conference on Nirvana Beach on Sunday, one of Mr. Fergusons brothers said the seasoned pilot experienced difficulties with the planes door during flight and contacted Air Traffic Control. Assistant Commissioner of Police [Leamond] Deleveuax, who is in charge of this investigation, never officially, up to this day, contacted the family, Ferguson claimed. When asked about the familys critiques that no divers went into the waters on Thursday night, Mr Dames underscored preservation of life is paramount in these situations. At the time, RBDF Commodore Tellis Bethel said: No efforts were made to secure the aircraft because our priority right then and there was to look for persons who might have been alive in the water. The only thing missing really is the dive component and you know dives day-to-day are based on weather conditions and the light, but that didnt happen today.. I would watch in other countries and incidents would happen, persons are able to donate in the millions to the search and rescue of persons rather than just sit and wait for the governments response.. However, Mr Dames also said he is sympathetic to the familys plight. Byron Long Birthday. More must be done, he said, to ensure there is a sense of urgency and to drive home the principle of no stone left unturned" when the country is faced with tragic plane crashes. When he began shooting, he did not have to worry about hitting the paper target on a bale of hay - he could not even hit the hay. Recognising that we cannot predict when the call would go out for our vessels to respond the vessels that responded were not necessarily on full tanks. If he was really that good, he'd compete all the time to build up his reputation. By deadorkicking.com Editorial Team. I do not want to belittle this situation, but I am sure that this problem arises so infrequently that there is a cost that we need to take into consideration. The questions came in the wake of public outrage following rumours which suggested that the fate of Captain Byron Ferguson and his Piper Aztec plane, which went down in waters off the tip of western New Providence November 9, could have possibly had different results if all Family Island airports had functioning 24/7 airstrip lights. He said: The search never ceased. The AAID emphasizes that the factual information that has been gathered to date is preliminary in nature and new information that may become available may alter this information before the publication of the final report, read the interim report. Volunteer groups have pulled their resources to assist in the search, rescue and recovery of Byrons aircraft and there is still hope of locating Byron, read the post on the online fundraising site. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Byron Ferguson. He is going to be here.. He also regretted that there is no legislation to govern crowdfunding in instances where money is needed to support rescue efforts. How Old Is Byron Long? See the difficulty is, because its on the marine side, then an unmotivated entity, an entity that is not sensitised to that particular job see it may be sensitised to catching smugglers, catching human traffickers, catching poachers (and) defence and so for this aspect of civil intervention into some crisis, perhaps there is a need for stronger sensitisation of the marine unit of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to ensure that the sense of urgency that the family feels is also shared by those who are in the immediate vicinity and that the principle of no stone left unturned until we find this thing must prevail, because this is the second time now and I am only going based on what I heard. Byron E Ferguson Byron Ferguson (born 1919) . (It) is something that we do based on the weather pattern, based on what the weather is doing, based on the sea, state the tide flow. Commodore Bethel said training is always ongoing at the force. In which case you would have seen on Tuesday our dive search area shifted to the east and on Tuesday the 13th our divers were now finding debris that came from that plane wreckage.. He told his friend to track him; he was going to ditch this plane there. Byron Ferguson is the son of retired veteran ZNS news anchor Agnes Ferguson. This was obviously a controlled landing. TO RESERVE YOUR CLASS TODAY SIGN UP or CONTACT: Mike Goodman, 901-734-7818 ,mike@goodmanranch.com Yesterday, Major confirmed Ferguson was adequately trained to perform his duties and had many years of flying experience in Piper Aztec aircraft. Deleveaux told The Nassau Guardian that authorities believe the plane may have shifted from its original position. Monday, November 12, 2018 at 4:16:00PM EST, Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 9:08:00AM EST, Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 10:18:00AM EST, Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 1:59:00PM EST, Loss of Engine Power (Total): Beechcraft 60 Duke, N60RK; fatal accident occurred May 15, 2019 near Fort Collins-Loveland Airport (KFNL), Larimer County, Colorado, Seawind 3000, N8UU: July 03, 2021, July 02, 2021, June 27, 2021 and June 26, 2021, Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, N928JP: Fatal accident occurred April 13, 2022 near Burley Municipal Airport (KBYI), Cassia County, Idaho, Cirrus SR20 G3, N99EC: Fatal accident occurred January 24, 2023 near Indianapolis Executive Airport (KTYQ), Indiana, Loss of Control in Flight: Cessna 152, N757ZM; fatal accident occurred January 13, 2015 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 605, N605TR: Fatal accident occurred July 26, 2021 near Truckee Tahoe Airport (KTRK), Nevada County, California, Cessna A185F Skywagon, N714KH and Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, N7498L: Fatal accident occurred August 27, 2020 at Chena Marina Airport (AK28), Fairbanks, Alaska, Cessna 152, N49931 and Cessna 340A, N740WJ: Fatal accident occurred August 18, 2022 near Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI), Santa Cruz County, California, North American Rockwell Sabreliner 60, XB-JMR: Aircraft turns residents into entrepreneurs, Cessna 140, N2506N: Fatal accident occurred April 15, 2021 near H. A. Clark Memorial Field (KCMR), Williams, Coconino County, Arizona, Pilatus PC-12/47E, N79NX: Fatal accident occurred February 13, 2022 in Beaufort, Carteret County, North Carolina, Cessna C340, N7022G: Fatal accident occurred October 11, 2021 in Santee, San Diego County, California, CSA PiperSport, N126WK: Fatal accident occurred September 08, 2022 at Santa Monica Airport (KSMO), Los Angeles County, California, CASA C-212-200 Aviocar, N497CA: Fatal accident occurred July 29, 2022 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (KRDU), Morrisville, Wake County, North Carolina, Cirrus SR20 G6, N700YZ: Fatal accident occurred November 05, 2022 at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (KMYF), San Diego, California, Beechcraft V35B Bonanza, N112TW: Fatal accident occurred July 16, 2021 near Angwin Airport-Parrett Field (2O3), Napa County, California, Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300, N555NR: Fatal accident occurred January 02, 2023 at Provo Municipal Airport (KPVU), Utah County, Utah, Embraer ERJ-175, N264NN: Fatal accident occurred December 31, 2022 at Montgomery Regional Airport (KMGM), Alabama, Loss of Control in Flight: Cessna 525C Citation CJ4, N614SB, fatal accident occurred December 29, 2016 near Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport (KBKL), Cleveland, Ohio, Cirrus SR22 GTS, N24LA: Fatal accident occurred May 06, 2022 in the Atlantic Ocean near Tybee Island, Georgia, Loss of Control in Flight: Cirrus SR20, N4252G, fatal accident occurred June 09, 2016 near Hobby Airport (KHOU), Houston, Texas, Loss of Control in Flight: Cirrus SR22, N670SR; fatal accident occurred May 31, 2018 at Midland International Air and Space Port Airport (KMAF), Midland County, Texas, Medical Event: Cessna Citation 560, N3RB / N561EJ; fatal accident occurred January 09, 2021 in Warm Springs, Oregon, Loss of Control in Flight: SIAI Marchetti SM.1019B, N28U; fatal accident occurred July 24, 2021 at Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport (KLWS), Idaho. When Byron Ferguson put down his hunting rifle in favor of a bow and arrow, he had more than 200 whitetails to his credit. He knew he was losing altitude. Missing pilot Byron Ferguson and the U.S. registered Piper Aztec aircraft went down in waters two nautical miles from the airfield at Lynden Pindling International Airport. Authorities provided no new details on their search and recovery efforts up to press time Wednesday. He is an excellent pilot, and Im sure he is out there. He was expected to join his family to travel to Africa in celebration of his fathers birthday. Well then, meet Byron Ferguson; a modern day Robin Hood. I think about 15 miles, again, he contacted again with engine problems. He radioed as such to the Air Traffic Control. I finally got to see Byron Ferguson in action. Now that does not seem to apply in this case. The pilot, Byron Ferguson, 34, and one passenger were on the plane when it crashed, according to family members who were at the staging area for the search at Nirvana Beach yesterday. Kendall Dorsett Jr., the operations investigator for the Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID), said after reports were received from ATC, standby emergency protocols were initiated. Pressed further on the time divers left and returned he said: Ill say this without getting specific with the time it was well after 0200 hours when our surface craft went in and of course we had to allow for our people an opportunity to get the right equipment to initiate a dive operation at first light. For Byron Nelson's widow, her husband's name on an apartment complex When this matter was reported to the authorities on Thursday nightI was in communication with (Commodore Bethel) and the commissioner (of police), Mr Dames said. the woodsman is a two lamination . The family says this contradicts what the person in charge of the search and rescue would have reported, that initially the plane was found. When they were approaching, a little piece of the aircraft could have been seen. The most difficult shot of Byron's career came while performing on the television show Super People in Tokyo when he shot an arrow through a diamond ring. He has performed for the crowned heads of Europe, as well as on national TV on the Tonight Show. The cabin door if slightly open produces the stabilator to buffet, it can be unnerving even with the slightest amount of the door being ajar. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Flooding at LPIA caused by failure in fire suppression line, COP sounds off on the granting of bail for repeat offenders, Bahamian producers take center stage on major project, Central Bank acknowledges less than satisfactory bank account opening time, touts improvements. Bjorn Ferguson added, We come from a community with a lot of boaters and divers so we rallied around our community. Bryons mother, Agnes Ferguson, a retired veteran ZNS news anchor, posted on Sunday, Simply waiting for Captain Byron Quinn Fergusons return to tell his own story, and invoke real change in the countrys aviation industry.. He also said that no one officially reached out to the family, and the Commodore of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force met with them yesterday indicating that they will be widening their perimeter of search. Byron Ferguson, byronferguson@msn.com 256-773-2467. And so I am not faulting the family whatsoever. Rome was not built in a day. It is unimaginable.. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. byron ferguson's "safari supreme" longbow this is byron's all custom handmade longbow. The POH states "Should the door open in flight, immediately reduce airspeed to prevent serious buffeting, and land at the nearest airport". Byron appeared on American Shooter on TNN, ESPN, ESPN2 and OLN for ten years where his "SHOT OF THE WEEK" was the most watched portion of the show. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. - Tim Tucker, The Palm Beach Post, It appears that the Howard Hill torch has been passed to another native Alabaman. It boggles the mind if that is so. Also available. One of the major reasons he shoots a longbow is because it has so much romance tied to it. Byron Long Death Fact Check, Birthday & Age | Dead or Kicking The family said that they are due and deserve facts and professionalism from those responsible for conducting this search and investigation. Slitting a playing card in half - from the side - is one of Byron's favorite tricks. No copyright infringement is intendedAll rights go to Foxtel made in the same form as the "safari" and "safari supreme" it still has the same reflex deflex design as our custom models. While Fergusons family remains hopeful that he is still alive, authorities said it is unlikely that anyone survived the crash in waters about a mile north of Nirvana Beach. As a matter of fact it was just several weeks ago the defence force conducted an advanced dive programme for its members so we are always training staff, he said. We are confident in Byrons ability and the actions he took, up until the plane landed, Bjorn said. If you're at or below VMC, you will have your hands full keeping the beast level. Those issues are highlighted in our report. He had clarity of mind and what he was doing.. He said, the information that we obtained indicated that my brother encountered difficulties about 40 miles off of the coast of New Providence with his door. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. He [flew] in the Middle East in the desert. As you can see, everyone's out here again, hopeful, wishing for the best, but bracing to accept reality, said Fergusons brother. We have to leave it up to the search team and the investigators to let them do their jobs and not muddle what they are doing, said the Minister. Sometimes you compare us to military services that been around for 250 over 300 years. Those teams out there have been working tirelessly, and always remember in search and rescue, when teams are out there and theyre working their first area of focus is the protection of life. Mr Dames said he was taken aback by the criticism, given his knowledge of how quickly officials mobilised in response to the crash. The family of missing pilot, Byron Ferguson contends that he did file a flight plan, despite conflicting reports that he did not. As they got close the aircraft disappeared. We live in a country where we dont have legislation in place for crowd-funding. Privacy Policy. Junior Tennis Nationals being held in memory of Byron Ferguson They added that they will not stop until they reach a resolution. As they gathered on Nirvana Beach yesterday, Fergusons family criticized authorities over the search and rescue efforts. Sweden -- Summer 2001 - Swedish Game Fair, Austria - Spring 2010 - Byron Ferguson Exhibition in Graz, Germany - July 2011 - Byron Ferguson Exhibition in Eisenbach, Finland - June 2012 - Byron Ferguson Exhibition sets new record for attendance - 15,000 Saturday - 12,000 Sunday, Finland - June 2013 - Byron Ferguson Exhibition & Bare Bow Shooting Clinic - National TV, Brazil - July 2012 - Byron Ferguson Exhibition wins award for "Most Attended" event at the Brazil Sport Show - Sao Paulo, Neatherlands - August 2014 - Byron Ferguson Archery Exhibitions - Bare Bow Clinic - National TV, NASHVILLE TN. STST - Byron-Ferguson-Productions Search and rescue is a science. You obviously don't know anything about an AzTec! Additionally, investigators conducted interviews for the gathering of facts regarding the accident. Larry Hagman. Is Byron Long Dead or Still Alive? Were told that the plane may have relocated from its original position that it was in last night and so we continue to search. The pilot, Byron Ferguson, 34, and one passenger were on the plane when it crashed, according to family members who were at the staging area for the search at Nirvana . Later he said specific times would eventually be documented for public knowledge, but as an investigation is ongoing the information could not be released. However, Major advised recommendations on the search and rescue effort will be included in the final report. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and several RBDF patrol vessels responded the incident. The six-seater Piper Aztec aircraft plunged into the sea two nautical miles from the airfield at Lynden Pindling International Airport. So, our hearts go out to the family. Ferguson was flanked by dozens of relatives and friends on Nirvana Beach, a quarter of a mile from where her husbands plane plunged into the sea. Often times they are going to a very, very risky and dangerous situation, where one bad decision could result in them losing their lives as well, Mr. Dames said. For more information, please see our Ferguson is a father of two, a nine-month-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. We could all sit back and be Monday morning quarterbacks, but if you look at search and rescue, anywhere the world over, and you see how it is conducted sometimes you have rough waters and you may want to go in and execute a search, but you cant because the waters are rough. He continued: And so if I feel that way about something like this, if my colleagues opposite here who sit beside me and if we feel as a body like that about a circumstance like that, how much worse does the family feel? The Fergusons family have gotten local and foreign pilots to assist with an aerial search of the Nirvana Beach and surrounding areas. Pinder said defence force officers were combing the shoreline from the Compass Point area thats intended to come to this area (Nirvana Beach) and pass it and go to the west to see if any debris from the plane could be found. Shooting dimes out of the air or shooting deer on the run, Ferguson is a master craftsman worthy of the Lincoln Green of Sherwood Forest. Be assured that when we uncover serious safety deficiencies during any of our investigations, we dont wait until the investigation report to make them known. Had everything gone as planned, Byron Ferguson and his parents would have been flying to South Africa to celebrate his fathers birthday yesterday, but instead his family and authorities were still conducting a widespread search for him after his plane crashed off western New Providence on Thursday night. He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet, " they . Byron Lars Is Still Here - The New York Times His accuracy is so great that comic book legend Stan Lee himself has said, "Byron Ferguson qualifies as superhuman." View Sort By SKU: 6529 Commander Ferguson continued: So we would have dived that area and we would have been confident in that one mile range of dive that we did that there was no other debris that we found in that area. You dont know what youre up againstyou have to make that call once you get to that scene. Aviation Minister Dionisio Daguilar was unable to conclusively answer questions fielded by reporters Tuesday as to whether or not all airports in The Bahamas have functioning lights to accommodate regular, or emergency, night-time landings. We responded.. Byron Ferguson | 3Rivers Archery Cookie Notice Asked whether Air Traffic Control could have had the lights turned on at one of these runways and rerouted the pilot given the difficulties he was experiencing, Dorsett said, Youre talking about the kind of situation where persons arent at the airport after sunset, so youre talking about having someone dispatched there to turn on the lights in time for the pilot. He flies in Africa, so I am confident in his ability, and we are just praying. An uploaded photo of the tracker, showed Ferguson had completed 29 minutes of his flight to New Providence and was expected to arrive at 8:50 p.m. from West Palm Beach. Relatives said Mr. Ferguson is a graduate of the Florida Air Academy who has been flying since he was 14-years-old. A GoFundMe page in Bryons name was launched on November 17 to hire certified deep-sea divers, and specialized deep-sea dive equipment. The Ferguson family and even Attorney General Carl Bethel berated the RBDF over the organizations handling of the initial search and recue effort. So, we have to be extremely careful when we say aircraft; we give the impression that here is this big aircraft that they saw lying on the water; that is not so. He said: In some situations we may be looking beyond compliance to determine if the regulatory framework is adequate.. However, while Mr Bethel attempted to make a compelling case for these efforts since the incident last week Thursday, neither he nor other officials present could definitively tell reporters at what time the search was suspended in the hours following the crash in waters off Nirvana beach. Please check back later. As far as we are aware, we dont have any, up to this day, anything stating that a flight plan has been filedSo I say this to say, we have to be careful when we make assertions.. At some point after they would have exhausted four hours after into the search and had to continue to make preparations for divers to do more intensive search they had to return in and so our efforts continued in earnest and we had to return to replenish and to ensure that our fuel, our personnel (and) the divers were embarked, the right equipment was embarked and so there was always throughout the entire process search efforts going on., When it was presented to him that reporters had been told the search was being called off at 1 oclock Friday morning, he said: What happened was we had a suspension of search in terms of the surface search craft having to return to bring in additional divers to ensure that the right equipment was being brought in.. However, this was after they would have made contact and agitated a Member of Parliament. I think that at about 15 miles, he contacted again with engine problems.. My understanding is that they checked the coordinates that they had last night, they checked it this morning to discover that the plane was no longer in that position.. Commander Shone Pinder, the airway commanding officer for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, said on Friday there were no clear indications of bodies in the plane on Thursday during the original search when a portion of the aircraft was still above the water. Major underscored it was the departments policy for the family will receive a copy of the report before it is released the general public. The commodore further admitted that the RBDF could have done a better job in its communication with relatives and the media after it was revealed that marine divers had discovered oil containers, residue and other lightweight materials on the seabed Tuesday. Bahamas Air Accident Investigation Department Operations Investigator Kendal Dorsett Jr also said yesterday that with a lack of physical evidence, authorities are looking at other avenues that could have contributed to the incident. He radioed air traffic control. And so immediately as that information came in, the authorities activated their machinery, almost immediately. - Norb Mullaney, Bowhunting World, Like the immortal Howard Hill, Ferguson shoots with precision and accuracy that masters of the longbow have become legends for. He had to pass three runways: Chub Cay, Great Harbour Cay and San Andros to make it here on one engine; trying to get this plane here to LPIA on one engine, he claimed. Byron Long was born on May 10, 1969 and is 53 years old now. While Ferguson's family remains hopeful that he is still alive, authorities said it is unlikely that anyone survived the crash in waters about a mile north of Nirvana Beach. They said their search will continue until they can get to a conclusion. Obviously, there are a lot of remote airports and to equip and staff these airports 24/7 is a significant cost, he noted. They say they left the site. He said: A mutual friend of Byron yesterday, who is still in shock, indicated to me that the wife with a 10-month-old child is still walking up and down that beach, and the beaches, not eating and just asking people to help me look in the bushes, look over there, check that sand and all of our hearts break. If youre interested in shooting the bow and arrow without having to use sights, this is THE EVENT youve been waiting for. The report raised issue with the search and rescue procedures, calling for the government to establish an organization dedicated solely to search and . He is going to be returned home to us alive and thats my final everything; he is going to be here.. Those family members did not wish to speak on the record.