US man shot dead after hijacking small passenger plane in Belize

A U.S. citizen named Akinyela Sawa Taylor, reportedly a military veteran and former educator, hijacked a small Tropic Air passenger plane in Belize on April 17, 2025. The plane was traveling from Corozal to San Pedro with 14 passengers and two crew members on board. Taylor armed himself with a knife.

A U.S. veteran named Akinyela Taylor hijacked a small Tropic Air passenger plane in Belize on April 17, 2025, at knifepoint. The plane was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members on a domestic flight from Corozal to San Pedro. During the flight, Taylor stabbed three people, including the pilot, and demanded the plane be flown out of the country. The aircraft circled the airspace near Belize City, dangerously low on fuel, before safely landing at the airport in Ladyville.

As the plane landed, a passenger who was licensed to carry a firearm and had also been stabbed shot Taylor, fatally wounding him. The injured passenger was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The three stabbed individuals were hospitalized for treatment. Belize police commissioner Chester Williams noted that it remains unclear how Taylor managed to board the plane with a knife, citing lax security at smaller airstrips. Authorities also revealed that Taylor had been refused entry into Belize the previous weekend, and it is unknown how he arrived in Corozal.

U.S. officials confirmed Taylor was a U.S. citizen and veteran, but the motive for the hijacking is still under investigation. The U.S. Embassy is cooperating with Belizean authorities on the case. Tropic Air’s CEO praised the pilot for his calm and heroic actions in safely landing the plane under extreme pressure.