Flight Details
A student pilot departed Sebastian Municipal Airport, Sebastian, Florida, en route to Freeport, Grand Bahamas, accompanied by three passengers. No flight plan was filed. Visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed at the time of departure. The airplane did not arrive at its destination airport.
Search and Recovery
The U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search two days after the airplane went missing, but terminated the effort without sighting any debris or wreckage. Nine days after the disappearance, the U.S. Navy recovered a body off the coast of Virginia. A medical examiner identified the remains through dental records as one of the passengers from the missing airplane. No wreckage from the airplane was located.
Aftermath
The remaining three occupants—the student pilot and two passengers—are missing and presumed dead. The cause of the accident is undetermined.