Elderly couple, grandchildren killed in crash

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority of The Bahamas has confirmed that all four people aboard a Piper PA-34 aircraft that disappeared while en route from Great Harbour Cay to Florida have been found dead.

According to the AAIA, the aircraft, bearing United States registration N212ML, lost radar contact with Miami Center air traffic control shortly before 11 a.m. on Monday.

The plane was travelling from Great Harbour Cay Airport in the Berry Islands to Miami Executive Airport in Miami, Florida, when it was reported overdue and presumed missing.

Search and rescue operations were immediately launched by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the United States Coast Guard.

Initial searches conducted Monday in an area west of the northern coast of Andros yielded no sightings of the aircraft or its occupants.

Search efforts continued on Tuesday, when authorities made the grim discovery that all four occupants had died.

However, the AAIA said that as of the issuance of its statement, the aircraft itself, along with any associated wreckage or debris, had not yet been located.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority extended its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by the tragedy.

The AAIA said it opened a safety investigation after receiving notification on Monday that the aircraft was overdue and presumed missing.

The investigation is being conducted in accordance with the authority’s regulatory mandate and the international standards outlined in ICAO Annex 13, which governs aircraft accident and incident investigations.

The AAIA is coordinating with the United States National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and other appropriate national and international agencies.