Flight Details
On August 19, 2023, at approximately 12:25 pm local time (1625 UTC), a Cessna 402B departed from Fort Lauderdale International Airport (KFLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. The aircraft was en route to North Eleuthera International Airport (MYEH) in Eleuthera, Bahamas, with one person on board. The flight was expected to return to KFLL shortly after 2:00 pm that afternoon.
Incident
At around 12:58 pm (1658 UTC), air traffic control at KFLL observed the aircraft in a rapid descent from approximately 8,400 feet mean sea level (MSL) to about 4,500 feet MSL. The descent occurred at coordinates 25.84N 78.90W, about 70 nautical miles southeast of KFLL and 18 nautical miles northeast of Bimini, Bahamas. The aircraft was not observed on radar after the descent.
Search and Rescue
Upon notification that the aircraft was overdue, search and rescue operations were initiated. Coordination involved the United States Coast Guard (USCG), Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), and the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA). Aerial and marine assets searched the area of the last known position at coordinates 25.84N 78.90W. An updated position was later provided by the USCG at coordinates 25°20'35.00"N 76°59'46.00"W, approximately 17 nautical miles southwest of MYEH. Combined search efforts continued through August 21, 2023.
Investigation
As of the release of the accident investigation report, neither the pilot nor the aircraft had been located. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) was unable to determine a probable cause and classified the cause as unknown or undetermined. While weather may have been a contributory factor, there was insufficient evidence to draw a definitive conclusion.