On Feb. 9, 2024, a Bombardier Challenger 604 en route from Columbus, Ohio, to Naples, Florida, experienced a dual-engine flameout on short final to Naples Municipal Airport. Unable to reach the runway, the aircraft made an emergency landing on Interstate 75, ultimately colliding with a concrete noise barrier. The crash claimed the lives of the two pilots and left corporate flight attendant Sydney Bosmans with two passengers trapped in a burning fuselage.

Despite the chaos, Bosmans acted with extraordinary calm and professionalism. Her quick thinking and safety training saved the lives of the passengers and her own. In recognition of her heroic actions, NBAA honored her with the Above and Beyond Award for Heroic Achievement during a reception at NBAA-BACE in October. However, for Bosmans, the award is just the beginning of her mission to transform how safety is prioritized within business aviation.

The Escape That Saved Lives

As the Challenger 604 came to rest, the main cabin door was rendered inoperable by the crash's impact, and post-crash flames blocked the over-wing exit. Bosmans immediately realized the gravity of the situation. “When we were in line to land at Naples that day, things started going south in a matter of split seconds. There was not enough time to analyze what was actually happening,” she said during her speech at NBAA-BACE. “Next thing you know, we’ve lost both engines, and I knew exactly what that meant. I was about to be in a plane crash.”

Despite the overwhelming pressure, Bosmans sprang into action. Drawing upon her safety training, she directed the two passengers to a small baggage door at the rear of the cabin—normally used only for external access—and helped them navigate through the tight space. The trio exited the wreckage and landed beneath the aircraft’s left engine nacelle. Moments later, a secondary explosion consumed the aft fuselage in flames.

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen commended her actions, saying, “Faced with a harrowing, life-threatening crisis, Sydney Bosmans maintained calm and clear thinking and drew upon her professional training to quickly identify a means of escape that saved three lives.”

A Journey of Recovery

The crash, however, was only the start of Bosmans’ challenges. She described the emotional and psychological toll of surviving such a traumatic event. “For most of you, February means Valentine’s Day. For me, it’s now February 9th, the day my life changed forever and took an unexpected turn placing me on a path of uncertainty and challenges like never before,” she shared.

Bosmans candidly discussed her struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the difficulty of returning to a sense of normalcy. “There are many days I still can’t believe I survived something like this. And then there are the days where I wish I hadn’t survived, the days where I wish I had perished with my pilots. I’m told this is normal for PTSD.”

She also spoke about the grief of losing her pilots, Ed and Ian, and the life she knew before the crash. “My entire reality blew up when that plane did. Everything I thought I knew, all the plans I had, all the things that I had built up around my identity to keep me safe were gone just like that,” she said.

Despite the pain, Bosmans sees her survival as a call to action. “Part of my healing process is making something good come from the brokenness and that something productive is birthed from the pain,” she said.

A Campaign for Safety Standards

Bosmans’ experience has galvanized her to advocate for higher safety standards for corporate flight attendants, an issue she argues is long overdue for attention. “If I hadn’t made the personal and professional development decision to invest in proper safety training, my role…would have resulted in five souls lost that day,” she said. Yet, she noted, safety training for corporate flight attendants is not universally required.

She highlighted the misconception that cabin crew members are always equipped to handle emergencies. “Most people think something like this will never happen to them. And of course, I never thought this would happen to me either. But if it happened to me, it could happen to you,” she said.

Bosmans pointed to specific areas for improvement, such as training cabin crews to use baggage doors as emergency exits. “Exiting through the baggage door was not seriously discussed until after February 9. Many FAs shared with me that they had no clue how to operate their baggage door,” she said.

She also questioned why many operators don’t train pilots and flight attendants (FAs) together. “It’s been so separate while also intentionally putting FAs in a role where they don’t feel valued and are not empowered to be the vital safety assets that they can be,” she said.

A Call to Action

Bosmans urged the business aviation community to rethink its approach to safety, stressing that complacency is a major threat. “This entire business of aviation is based on a first-class, high-touch experience. So why are we comfortable not providing safety on a first-class level?” she asked.

Looking forward, Bosmans envisions a future where all cabin crew members are required to have standardized safety training and are empowered as integral members of the crew. “I see a day where there’s no such thing as a cabin server with no safety functions. If you are stepping on board as a CFA, you are listed as part of the crew with essential safety functions,” she said.

For Bosmans, her advocacy is a way to honor her late colleagues and passengers. “Safety is the first duty of everyone in business aviation. It is then our duty to make it an actual truth,” she concluded.