Authorities search for missing aircraft near Bahamas en route to South Florida
A search is underway for a missing aircraft with four people on board that lost contact near Andros Island while traveling from the Bahamas to Opa-locka, Florida.
, New Providence —
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Officials in the Bahamas are searching for a missing aircraft that was en route to South Florida.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force announced on Monday, Sept. 7, that it received a report at 2:20 p.m. that an aircraft may have gone down in the waters off Red Bays.
The Police Force then contacted air traffic control. Information provided by the operations officer confirmed that it lost contact with a PA-34-200T Piper five-seater aircraft 13 miles west of Andros Island.
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File Photo 1996: Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida, USA, November 25, 2025. A Piper fixed wing multi engine (7 seats / 2 engines) N634GR arriving to the Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport.
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The police said the flight departed Great Harbour Cay at 11:12 a.m. and was en route to Opa-locka, Florida, with four people on board.
ABC News reported on Monday that it received a family statement that identified the passengers as Mario Lamar Sr., 80; Lili Lamar, 79; Sofi Sosa, 28; and Christian Sosa, 22.
Mario Lamar is “an experienced pilot with more than 40 years of flying experience,” according to the family statement.
The Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association was contacted and advised that the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to search the area for the aircraft, but because of poor weather, the search was postponed until conditions became favorable.
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“The United States Coast Guard is assisting the Royal Bahamas Defence Force following a report of a downed aircraft with four souls onboard approx. 15 mi off Andros Island, Bahamas,” the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement on social media on Monday afternoon. “A U.S. Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane is supporting the search. The case is ongoing.”
According to a Federal Aviation Administration database, the aircraft, with a registration number of N212ML, is a fixed-wing multi-engine aircraft that was manufactured in 1977.
The aircraft is owned by Seneca Aviation, Inc. located in Wilmington, Delaware.