On April 17, 2025, a routine Tropic Air flight from Corozal to San Pedro turned into a terrifying ordeal when 49-year-old American citizen and military veteran Akinyela Sawa Taylor hijacked the aircraft mid-flight. Armed with a knife, Taylor stabbed two passengers and the pilot, demanding the plane be diverted out of Belize. The incident ended when a passenger, licensed to carry a firearm, fatally shot Taylor, allowing the plane to land safely in Ladyville.
Among the passengers was Armin Burgos, who shared his firsthand account exclusively with News Five. Initially, Burgos mistook the commotion for a simple altercation: “All of a sudden, like two, three minutes after when we were in the air, I heard a lady shouting, ‘Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!’ So I thought they were fighting. I didn’t think anything.”
The situation escalated rapidly as Taylor confronted the pilot: “Then I saw the pilot; they’d like to turn back, and then [Taylor] told the pilot, ‘You’re not landing; you’re not turning back.’”
“He said, ‘Everybody go to the back.’ The guy that he stabbed, I saw him… Then I saw the whole thing, that he was stabbing the guy… So then I got a little frightened.”
Despite the danger, Burgos attempted to contact authorities:
“I tried to call police. But I called 911, and there was no answer. So I called one of my cousins; he’s also a police officer. I told him that, you know, they’re having a stabbing on the plane. I didn’t even know that it was hijacked.”
“If Mr Brown didn’t try to help, he would’ve been dead because [Taylor] was stabbing him… Mr Brown was trying to stop him and hold him.”
The ordeal concluded when a passenger shot Taylor as the plane prepared to land. “That’s when the shot… and he shouted for somebody to come and help the white guy. So I went with my belt, and I tried to tie his hand.”
Authorities are investigating how Taylor, previously denied entry into Belize, managed to board the flight with a concealed weapon. The U.S. Embassy in Belize is assisting with the investigation.
The incident has prompted discussions on aviation security protocols in Belize, especially concerning smaller airports.
