Four members of a Florida family remain missing after a small aircraft disappeared while traveling from the Bahamas to South Florida, prompting authorities from both countries and the U.S. Coast Guard to join the search, as reported by Fox News.
The aircraft, a PA-34 Piper five-seater bearing tail number N212ML, departed Great Harbour Cay in the Bahamas at approximately 11:12 a.m. Monday. It was headed for Opa-locka, Florida, a city near Miami.
The four people aboard were identified by family members as pilot Mario Lamar, 80, his wife, Lili, 79, and their grandchildren, Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22.
The final message from the aircraft simply said they were heading home.
Mario Lamar was piloting Piper PA-34 Seneca N212ML from Great Harbour Cay to Miami Executive Airport on September 7. His wife Lili Lamar and their grandchildren Sofia Sosa and Christian Sosa were travelling… pic.twitter.com/WoaDNlYCmH
— Flightdrama (@flightdrama) September 8, 2026
Authorities in the Bahamas believe the aircraft may have gone down in the ocean after losing contact during the flight.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force said it received a report at approximately 2:20 p.m. Monday indicating that an aircraft may have gone down in waters near Red Bays.
“Air traffic control subsequently lost contact with the aircraft approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island,” the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.
According to information from FlightAware, the aircraft descended from an altitude of 10,000 feet to approximately 3,700 feet in roughly three minutes before disappearing from radar.
The U.S. Coast Guard Southeast announced Monday that it was assisting Bahamian authorities after receiving a report of a downed aircraft.
The agency said the aircraft was believed to have four people aboard and was located approximately 15 miles off Andros Island.
A Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft joined the search effort.
“The Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) advised that the United States Coast Guard had attempted to search the area for the missing aircraft,” Bahamian police said.
“However, due to inclement weather, the search was postponed until conditions became favorable.”
The search was expected to resume when weather conditions permitted.
Family members have appealed for help as authorities continue looking for the aircraft and its occupants.
Silvia Larrieu, the niece of Mario and Lili Lamar, told the Miami Herald that the family had traveled to Great Harbour Cay for the Labor Day weekend to visit a vacation property.
“Please help,” Larrieu told the newspaper. “I ask anybody out there, if you can help with search and rescue efforts, we would greatly appreciate it. We need to bring them home.”
Larrieu said the couple had been visiting the area for many years and that “they’ve spent their whole life going there.”
She also described Mario Lamar as an experienced pilot who regularly maintained his aircraft.
Larrieu told the Miami Herald that Lamar had years of experience flying and always kept the aircraft in “pristine” shape.
The missing flight was traveling from Great Harbour Cay toward Opa-locka when communication was lost. The circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s disappearance have not been determined.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed the aircraft’s departure time, destination, and tail number as part of its initial account of the incident.
Authorities also identified the approximate location where air traffic control lost contact with the plane.
The Coast Guard’s involvement adds U.S. search-and-rescue resources to the operation, with the HC-144 Ocean Sentry providing surveillance capabilities over the waters where the aircraft is believed to have disappeared.
A Florida family left Great Harbour Cay yesterday morning to fly home to Miami. They never made it.
Mario Lamar, 80, was at the controls of his Piper PA-34. His wife Lili, 79, was in the cabin with their grandkids Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22. Sofia texted the family… pic.twitter.com/853i2ahQkL
— Arkadalo® (@Arkadalo) September 8, 2026
The incident comes as authorities continue to coordinate an international search effort involving Bahamian officials, the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association and the U.S. Coast Guard.
As of Tuesday, the four family members had not been located, and authorities had not announced a confirmed cause for the aircraft’s disappearance.
The family is continuing to ask for assistance as search crews work to determine what happened to the plane and locate Mario Lamar, Lili Lamar, Sofia Sosa, and Christian Sosa.
