A Florida couple and their two grandchildren are missing after their private plane crashed into the ocean while returning from a weekend getaway in the Bahamas—and now their heartbroken family is begging for help.
The small five-seater Piper PA-34 aircraft vanished from radar Monday afternoon, plunging into the water about 13 miles west of Andros Island, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. On board were pilot Mario Lamar, 80, his wife Lili, 79, and their grandchildren, Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22.
The family had just spent Labor Day weekend watching sunsets from their vacation home in Great Harbor Cay, a place they’ve loved for decades. Mario’s niece, Silvia Larrieu, told the Miami Herald that the couple had been making that trip for years. “They were coming home,” she said.
Flight data shows the plane’s speed suddenly changed and its altitude dropped from 10,000 feet to just 3,700 feet in three minutes before it disappeared. Rough weather near the north end of Andros Island delayed the initial search, according to family members.
In a tearful video plea, Larrieu asked anyone who can help to come forward. “Please help,” she said. “We need to bring them home.”
The U. S. Coast Guard has joined the search, deploying an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft.
Authorities say the pilot, Mario Lamar, had more than 40 years of flying experience and was well-trained, his family told ABC News.
Sofia Sosa had just graduated from Wake Forest University, and her brother Christian recently finished at Loyola Marymount University, per the Miami Herald. Their futures were just beginning.
As rescue teams scan the waters off Andros Island, one question lingers: What exactly caused that sudden drop in altitude?
