The Agape Flights cargo aircraft went missing last Thursday and was found the next day in the mountains in Haiti. In a video posted to their website, Agape CEO Allen Speer broke the news that there were no survivors.
"Agape Flights aircraft N316 Alpha Foxtrot, our Embraer 110, dropped off radar over Jeremie, Haiti, and what followed was an extensive search and rescue effort through the night," he relayed.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Venice-based ministry had not named the pilots, but Speer said their bodies had been returned to their families.
"Our hearts are broken," he said. "We grieve deeply for the families of the pilots who are now enduring an unimaginable loss, and we ask you, our family, to lift them up in prayer for strength when the weight feels unbearable."
In addition to prayer for the families, he asked for prayer over "the entire Agape Flights family" as the ministry navigates the coming weeks and continues to fly supplies to hundreds of affiliated missionaries in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
"Even now, in sorrow and in uncertainty, we're choosing to trust that God will deliver us through this season, even when we cannot yet understand His ways," Speers said.
Mission Safety International works with around 45 organizations, including Agape. It does not provide daily oversight of Agape's organization but does look over policies and procedures in safety audits.
CEO Jonathan Egeler says Agape follows the same protocols as other aviation organizations, and everyone needs to keep in mind that a dozen different things could have led to the crash, many of which are out of the organization's control.
