A Miami family is desperately seeking help locating their loved ones who vanished on a flight from Great Harbour Cay in the Bahamas to Miami on Monday morning.
Bahamian and U.S. forces are searching for the four passengers aboard the small private plane. Family members have identified them as:
- Mario Lamar, 80, the pilot
- Lili Lamar, 79, his wife
- Sofia Sosa, 28, their granddaughter
- Christian Sosa, 22, their grandson
A Family’s Second Home
The family had spent the Labor Day weekend watching beautiful sunsets at their home on Great Harbour Cay, a place they had visited their entire lives.
“They’ve spent their whole life going there. That’s like their second home,” said Silvia Larrieu, niece of Mario and Lili. “They were coming home.”
The Last Communication
Larrieu said the family first sensed something was wrong when the family group chat went silent. Sofia had sent a text announcing they were flying home , the last message anyone received from her. Hours later, messages sent to her went unreturned. Then, the family tracked the plane on FlightAware.
The Flight Data
The Piper PA-34 Seneca, a six-seat aircraft, was last visible on radar around 11 a.m. FlightAware data shows the plane’s speed rapidly fluctuating up and down before its altitude dropped from around 10,000 feet to 3,700 feet in just three minutes. The plane’s path also looped in a circle. After that, no further data is available.
The Search Effort
The U.S. Coast Guard is assisting the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in the search for the downed aircraft, according to a statement posted on X. As of 5 p.m., the Defence Force reported that its search had “yielded negative results.”
The FlightAware recording shows the plane’s partial path crossing rough weather near the north end of Andros Island, where the search is now focused. That rough weather prevented Bahamian forces from launching the search immediately, Larrieu said.
Another relative , the Lamars’ son , has already flown out to Andros to rent a boat and assist with the search.
A Skilled Pilot
Larrieu said Mario, the pilot, was well-trained with years of experience. He maintained the plane in “pristine” condition and had all the required safety gear on board, she added.
A Plea for Help
In a video statement, Larrieu made an emotional appeal to the public.
“Please help. 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.”
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