A private plane with four people on board disappeared on Monday during a flight between the Bahamas and Miami, prompting search teams from both countries to mobilize in an effort to locate the aircraft and its occupants.
The Piper PA-34 Seneca, registration N212ML, had taken off from Great Harbour Cay in the Bahamas, heading to Miami Executive Airport, according to the Miami Herald.
The last recorded contact occurred around 11:00 a.m., after tracking data indicated sudden changes in the aircraft's behavior.
According to FlightAware records cited by the outlet, the speed fluctuated sharply and the plane descended from approximately 10,000 to 3,700 feet in just three minutes.
The trajectory also shows that the aircraft made a circle before it stopped transmitting information to the tracking system.
Authorities estimate that the plane may have crashed about 15 miles from Andros Island, in Bahamian territory, although rescue teams are still attempting to locate it.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force received the report and around 2:00 p.m. requested assistance from the United States Coast Guard.
The U.S. agency deployed a HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to assist in the search efforts, as reported on social media.
According to the Miami Herald, the route taken by the small plane passed through an area of bad weather near the northern tip of Andros. However, authorities have not yet determined that the weather conditions are related to the disappearance.
At 5:00 p.m., Bahamian authorities reported that the search operations had not yet yielded positive results.
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