Roy Edward Poutinen Obituary. Published by the Fort Lauderdale News on
Aug 20, 1972, page 5. By Yvette Cardozo, Staff Writer. A weekend
jaunt turned to tragedy when a Hollywood man, his wife, child, a brother
and a friend died in an air crash on Grand Bahama Island, 20 miles east of
Freeport. All those aboard the single-engine Beachcraft were killed when it
crashed into a heavily wooded area near a missile base, said a spokesman
for Bahamas Air Sea Rescue. Authorities identified them as Wayne B.
Poutinen, 29, his wife Carole, 30, and their son Chris, 6, of 4618 Monroe
St., along with Wayne's brother, Roy Poutinen, 26, of Miami. Relatives here
said a friend also was on board, Chris Woodland, identified as a U.S. Navy
pilot stationed at San Diego, Calif. He had flown in just to go on the
trip. The Poutinen brothers, with their father, Paul Poutinen, also of
Hollywood, shared ownership of Apex Products, a manufacturer of gifts and
stationery in Dania. The Wayne Poutinens' two other children,
nine-month-old Ashley and Paige, 8, are being cared for by neighbors, a
family friend said. "They were just going for the weekend. They did this
quite often," said the friend. The plane was borrowed from another friend,
Robert Speilman of Hollywood. "I heard the report that it exploded in mid
air. I also heard it didn't go up until after it hit ground," said
Speilman, adding, "The chances of a small plane like that exploding in mid
air are almost inconceivable unless it was something in the luggage."
Speilman said he had flown the plane only the day before to Bimini. "At
this point, no one knows what really did happen. It's just a matter of
conjecture until the proper inspection can be made," he said. Local
authorities say the small plane took off from Opa-Locka Airport bound for
Treasure Cay on Little Abaco in the Bahamas. They headed to visit friends.
At 5:05 p.m. yesterday, said Bahamian authorities, the plane passed over
the missile base on Grand Bahama Island and those on the ground heard the
engine cut out. Bahamian authorities said they had no knowledge of any
radio message from the plane for help. All on board were burned almost
beyond identification, said Noel Hensco of Bahamas Air Seas Rescue. The
crash site was so remote, bulldozers had to cut a path before anyone could
get to the plane. A joint investigation of the crash will begin tomorrow by
the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety
Board and the Bahamian Air Ministry.
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