Florida Family Vanishes After Plane Plunges into Ocean

A desperate search is underway for a Florida couple and their two grandchildren after their private plane crashed into the ocean while they were returning home from a Labor Day weekend in the Bahamas.

Mario Lamar, 80, his wife Lili Lamar, 79, and their grandchildren Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22, were aboard a five-seat PA-34 Piper aircraft headed for Opa-locka, Florida, when the plane suddenly went down Monday afternoon.

Authorities in the Bahamas received a report around 2:20 p.m. that the aircraft had crashed into the water about 13 miles west of Andros Island, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

The plane had taken off earlier that day from Great Harbor Cay, where the Miami family had spent Labor Day weekend at their vacation home.

Just hours before the terrifying disappearance, the family had been enjoying the sunset together at the island property they had visited for years.

“They’ve spent their whole life going there. That’s like their second home,” Silvia Larrieu, a niece of Mario and Lili, told the Miami Herald. “They were coming home.”

Flight-tracking data shows the aircraft’s final moments were deeply troubling.

According to FlightAware, the plane’s speed began fluctuating rapidly before its altitude plunged from roughly 10,000 feet to just 3,700 feet in a span of about three minutes.

The aircraft also reportedly encountered rough weather near the northern end of Andros Island.

The severe conditions initially prevented Bahamian authorities from immediately searching the area where the plane was believed to have gone down, according to Larrieu.

The missing family’s relatives are now pleading for anyone who can assist in the massive search effort to step forward.

“Please help,” Larrieu said in an emotional video statement. “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.”

The U.S. Coast Guard has joined Bahamian authorities in the search, deploying an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to help locate the missing plane and its passengers.

Mario Lamar was an experienced pilot who had been flying for more than four decades, his family told ABC News.

“He has more than 40 years of flying experience,” the family said in a statement.

The two grandchildren aboard the plane had also recently reached major milestones in their lives.

Sofia Sosa recently graduated from Wake Forest University, while her brother Christian Sosa recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University.

As search crews continue combing the waters near Andros Island, the family is holding out hope that Mario, Lili, Sofia and Christian will be found and brought home.