Christian Oliver: 'Indiana Jones' star killed alongside daughters in a scary plane crash in the Caribbean

SAINT VINCENT, CARIBBEAN: A plane crash in the Caribbean claimed the lives of an American actor who starred in ‘Indiana Jones’ and his two young daughters on Thursday, January 4.

Christian Oliver, 51, was flying with his family to St Lucia when the plane encountered difficulties and plunged into the sea.

Christian Oliver's career and final film

Oliver, whose real name was Klepser, was born in Germany and moved to the US to pursue acting. He appeared in blockbuster movies such as 'Speed Racer', 'Valkyrie', and TV shows like 'Saved by the Bell: The New Class,' besides several other roles as mentioned on his website.  He had a recent role in the latest 'Indiana Jones' movie too.

He had just finished filming a movie called 'Forever Hold Your Peace', which is set to be released soon. according to US Sun. The film’s director, Nick Lyon, paid tribute to him on social media, saying, “We talked about producing a film together for years and finally did it! Thank you for being a great colleague, actor, and friend."

Oliver had arrived in the Caribbean with his daughters, Madita, 10, and Annik, 12, on December 26.

Christian Oliver's final moments and social media post

Two days before the fatal crash, Oliver posted a picture of himself on a tropical beach with the caption, “Let love rule. Wishing all of you the best for 2024”. Alongside the picture, he wrote, "Greetings from somewhere in paradise! To community and love …2024 here we come!"

According to local reports, the plane registered in the US took off from JF Mitchell Airport in Bequia, a small island near St Vincent and the Grenadines, around 12.11 pm. There were also reports and videos from social media capturing the crash. 

The pilot, Robert Sachs, who also died in the crash, contacted the tower shortly after to report that the jet was in trouble and that he was trying to return to the airport.

Witnesses saw the plane lose altitude before crashing into the water

Several witnesses saw the plane lose altitude and power before crashing into the water. One of them, Cornell Campbell, said he heard the plane’s engine and propeller make loud noises and then go silent according to US Sun. He said, “Everything shut off the first time. So, I told my friend, “That plane is going to crash.”

"But the plane kicked up back again like it built up back a power. It seems as though it was turning to head back to the airport but then with the wind, because I don’t think it had reached the [cruising] altitude so it was going back to the airport,” he added.

He further said that he heard a loud sound from the water as the plane sank. He said, “But when it sank, something went “Bouff!” in the water, which is why I said it exploded. "So that is the only thing I heard when the plane was sinking. It went “Bouff!” under the water," he continued.

Another witness, Tyrone Durham, a retired Coast Guard officer, said he also saw the plane struggle and dive down. He said, “It seems as though the power cut out or the engine failed and then I came out from under the tree and looked at the plane.”

Fisherman criticized rescue efforts of the Coast Guard 

Local fishermen and divers rushed to help, but it was too late. The Coast Guard arrived later and recovered the bodies from the sea. They were pronounced dead by a doctor. One fisherman criticized the coast guard for not securing the area and the wreckage, saying that the tide could have carried them away.

“We explained to them that the tide was now starting to run so if you left it (the wreckage) there, it was a (possibility) that we couldn’t find the plane again, that it would drift off,” an unnamed fisherman who spotted the wreckage along with a fried told IWitness News.

A military officer also expressed concern to iWitness News that the Coast Guard did not have permanent personnel in the area until the investigation was completed. Police said in a statement that they were working with the relevant authorities to determine the cause of the crash.