North Andros, The Bahamas: Four members of a Miami family died after their Piper PA-34 lost contact with air traffic control and crashed into waters near North Andros in the Bahamas while returning to South Florida from Great Harbour Cay. All four bodies were later recovered from the water by relatives and civilian searchers.
The aircraft, a US-registered Piper PA-34, N212ML, had four people aboard when it departed Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands on September 7, 2026. Bahamian police said it was bound for Opa-locka, Florida, while other reports identified Miami Executive Airport as its planned destination.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) said it received a report at about 2:20 p.m. local time that an aircraft may have crashed off Red Bays, North Andros. Air Traffic Control confirmed that N212ML had departed Great Harbour Cay with four people aboard before contact was lost about 13 miles west of Andros Island.
“Police on the island of Andros are coordinating efforts to locate an aircraft believed to have crash-landed off the coast of Red Bays, North Andros,” the RBPF said.
There is a discrepancy over the aircraft’s departure time. The RBPF recorded it as approximately 11:12 a.m., while the family said it departed at about 10:12 a.m. Relatives said the aircraft’s last recorded contact was around 11:04 a.m. near the western side of Andros Island.
The family had been returning to South Florida after spending the Labor Day weekend at their second home on Great Harbour Cay. Relatives said the route was familiar to the pilot, who had flown to the Bahamas for years.
Flight-tracking data showed a rapid loss of altitude before the aircraft disappeared. FlightAware reported a descent from about 10,000 feet to 3,700 feet in roughly three minutes.
These tracking figures have not been identified by investigators as the official sequence of events or cause of the crash. Investigators have not publicly established what caused the altitude loss or what happened immediately before the aircraft went down.
The four occupants were identified by relatives as:
Mario Lamar Sr., 80- pilot
Lili Lamar, 79 -his wife
Sofi/Sofia Sosa, 28 -granddaughter
Christian Sosa, 22- grandson
Relatives said Mario Lamar had more than 40 years of flying experience and regularly flew to the Bahamas.
“He always does this. The weather seemed fine,” relative Silvia Larrieu told Local 10. “My uncle maintained the plane in pristine condition. He was always on top of it.”
Sofi Sosa was a neonatal physician assistant in Miami, while Christian Sosa was a recent graduate of Loyola Marymount University.
After Air Traffic Control lost contact with N212ML, the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) was contacted and Bahamian authorities requested assistance from the US Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard deployed an HC-144 Ocean Sentry to assist in the search. “Southeast District command center watchstanders coordinated the launch of an HC-144 Ocean Sentry to assist Bahamian authorities with the search,” the Coast Guard said.
However, poor weather affected the operation. The RBPF said BASRA advised that the Coast Guard had attempted to search for the aircraft but the operation was postponed because of inclement weather.
Family members and civilian boat operators also joined the search after the aircraft failed to arrive in South Florida.
According to reports, Sofi Sosa had messaged her parents that the family was leaving the Bahamas, while Mario Lamar had filed a flight plan showing the expected arrival time. When the aircraft failed to arrive, relatives contacted authorities and appealed to people with boats or aircraft in the area for assistance.
The search ended on September 8, 2026 when relatives located the four family members. Silvia Larrieu said family members searching by boat recovered the bodies and worked with the US Coast Guard to bring them home. The family later confirmed the deaths.
“It is with profound sadness that we confirm all four of our family members have been found deceased,” the family said.
“The search and recovery mission was conducted alongside family members and civilians who answered our call for help. Our relatives ultimately located our loved ones and had to bring them aboard their own vessels. We are now in communication and working with the US Coast Guard to bring our loved ones home safely and with dignity.”
The family thanked those involved in the search and asked for privacy as they mourned.
Authorities have not publicly established the exact cause of death of the four occupants. Although their bodies were recovered from the water, there is no official finding stating whether they died from the impact, drowning, injuries or another cause. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) of The Bahamas has said the crash remains under investigation.
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Lt. Darius Adams said the initial information provided to the search-and-rescue operation indicated that the aircraft may have altered its route because of weather.
“Our initial investigation that came into our search-and-rescue operations team is that they left that area of the Barrier Islands and they wanted to divert from our inclement weather, and due to that factor, they ended up on that side of Andros as opposed to going a different direction, heading to Florida,” Adams said. The statement reflects an initial search-and-rescue assessment and not a final accident finding.
There is also no official finding yet linking the accident to mechanical failure, weather, fuel, loss of control or another specific factor.
