A search is underway for four members of a South Florida family after their small plane disappeared while flying home from the Bahamas, prompting a joint response from Bahamian authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The aircraft was carrying two grandparents and two of their grandchildren when air traffic controllers lost contact with it near Andros Island on September 7, 2026.

Authorities have not announced that the four occupants have been found, and poor weather has complicated the search.

According to the Associated Press, the missing aircraft was traveling from Great Harbour Cay in the Bahamas toward Miami Executive Airport in South Florida.

Four Relatives Were Flying Home to Florida

Family members identified those aboard as pilot Mario Lamar Sr., 80, his wife Lili Lamar, 79, and their grandchildren Sofi Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22.

Mario Lamar was described by relatives as an experienced pilot with more than 40 years of flying experience.

The family had been in the Bahamas before beginning the return trip to Florida.

What was supposed to be a flight home instead became the focus of an international search after the aircraft suddenly lost contact.

A family statement provided to ABC News asked Bahamian authorities, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies to use every available resource to locate the aircraft and the four people aboard.

The Plane Disappeared Near Andros Island

Bahamian police identified the missing aircraft as a Piper PA-34, a five-seat twin-engine airplane, bearing registration number N212ML.

The aircraft departed Great Harbour Cay and was heading toward the Miami area when air traffic control lost contact with it.

Authorities said the plane was approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island when communication was lost.

Bahamian police subsequently began coordinating efforts to locate what they described as an aircraft believed to have gone down or made an emergency landing off the coast near Red Bays, North Andros.

However, officials had not confirmed the condition of the aircraft or its occupants.

The U.S. Coast Guard Joined the Search

Bahamian authorities requested assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard after receiving reports of a downed aircraft with four people aboard.

The Coast Guard responded by deploying an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to assist local authorities with the search.

The HC-144 is designed for maritime patrol and search-and-rescue operations and can remain over large areas of ocean while crews look for aircraft, boats or people in distress.

CBS News reported that the Coast Guard was working alongside Bahamian authorities as efforts continued to locate the missing family.

Bad Weather Complicated Search Efforts

Weather quickly became a major challenge.

Bahamian authorities said search operations had to be temporarily suspended because of poor conditions in the area.

The region around Andros Island consists of large stretches of open water, making an aerial and maritime search especially difficult when visibility and weather deteriorate.

Officials did not immediately provide a firm timeline for when all search operations would resume.

The weather conditions have added urgency to a situation in which the location of both the aircraft and its four occupants remains unknown.

The Family Is Asking for Help

Relatives have publicly appealed for anyone in the area with useful information to assist authorities.

In comments reported by AP, Mario Lamar’s niece asked people traveling by plane or boat around the region to watch for anything that might help search teams locate the family.

Their hope remains that the four relatives can be found alive.

The family has also thanked the agencies and individuals involved in the search.

Authorities Have Not Confirmed What Caused the Plane to Disappear

Although officials are searching an area where the aircraft is believed to have gone down, authorities have not announced a confirmed cause for its disappearance.

Some flight-tracking information has attracted attention because of the aircraft’s movements before contact was lost, and storms were reported in the broader area.

However, there has been no official determination that weather, mechanical failure or pilot actions caused the incident.

Any explanation for what happened remains premature until investigators locate the aircraft and obtain more evidence.

The Four Family Members Remain Missing

The case remains an active search-and-rescue operation.

Authorities know the aircraft’s planned route and the approximate area where contact was lost, but there has been no official announcement confirming that the four people aboard have been located.

For relatives waiting in Florida, a routine flight home from the Bahamas has turned into an agonizing search across waters near Andros Island.

Until authorities provide new information, Mario Lamar Sr., Lili Lamar, Sofi Sosa and Christian Sosa remain missing, while U.S. and Bahamian teams continue efforts to determine what happened to their plane.