U.S. and Bahamian authorities are searching waters near Andros Island after losing contact with a Miami-bound Piper aircraft carrying four people.
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Four people were missing Monday after a small private plane disappeared during a flight from Great Harbour Cay in the Bahamas toward South Florida, prompting an air and sea search near Andros Island, according to Bahamian authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The aircraft was identified by Bahamas police as a Piper PA-34 bearing U.S. registration N212ML. Police said it departed Great Harbour Cay at about 11:12 a.m. with four people aboard before air traffic controllers lost contact with it roughly 13 miles west of Andros Island. Authorities said the aircraft was believed to have gone down in waters off Red Bays in North Andros, but its location had not been confirmed.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force asked the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance at about 2 p.m. after receiving a report of a downed airplane about 15 miles off Andros Island, according to a Coast Guard statement. The Coast Guard said it was assisting Bahamian authorities in the search. Poor weather complicated the response Monday and temporarily delayed some search activity, Bahamas police said.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority of the Bahamas said the Piper was traveling from Great Harbour Cay toward Miami Executive Airport when contact was lost. Flight-tracking records also listed N212ML on a flight from Great Harbour Cay to Miami Executive on Monday. Officials had not announced what caused the aircraft to disappear or determined whether weather or a mechanical problem played a role.
A family statement provided to ABC News identified the four people aboard as Mario Lamar Sr., 80; Lili Lamar, 79; Sofi Sosa, 28; and Christian Sosa, 22. The family described Mario Lamar as an experienced pilot with more than 40 years of flying experience. Authorities had not reported finding any of the occupants as of Monday night.
The family said the group consisted of two grandparents and two grandchildren and called on Bahamian authorities, the Coast Guard and other agencies to use available resources in the search. The family also expressed appreciation for the crews taking part in the response and for people who had offered support.
Accounts released Monday differed slightly on some flight details, including the precise departure time and South Florida destination. Bahamas police reported a departure at approximately 11:12 a.m., while other official and news accounts described the flight as leaving earlier in the morning. Miami Executive Airport was identified as the destination by the Bahamian accident authority and the family statement. Those differences did not change the reported search area west of Andros Island.
Andros is the largest island in the Bahamas and lies east of South Florida across the Atlantic. Search efforts focused on waters off its western coast, where authorities said contact with the aircraft was lost. No wreckage location, emergency transmission or confirmed account of what happened to the plane had been publicly announced Monday night.
Authorities continued coordinating the search as weather conditions allowed. The status of the four people aboard remained unknown, and officials had not announced a cause or confirmed that the aircraft had been located.
Author note: Last updated September 7, 2026.