The twin engine plane that crashed in the Bahamas, killing R&B singer Aaliyah and eight others on board, was carrying more than the recommended number of passengers, the plane's manufacturer told The Associated Press.
According to Cessna Aircraft Co. spokeswoman Jessica Myers, the plane was certified to carry only six to eight people, including the pilot.
Bahamian aviation officials have also released their first report, saying that the estimated weight of the plane, luggage and fuel was about 5,495 pounds, not including the nine occupants and one bag lost in the swampy area, the Civil Aviation Department said.
The report also mentions that the maximum authorized takeoff weight of the Cessna 402B is 6,300 pounds. This would mean that a mere 800 pounds was left to account for the combined weight of the nine passengers.
"No question about it, they were overloaded," John Frank of the Cessna Pilots Association told The Associated Press.
