What happened
On the morning of March 31, 1984, an aircraft departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 08:23, bound for Bimini, Bahamas. Following its departure, the flight plan was activated via radio communication; however, no further contact was established with the crew after this initial transmission.
Radar data from ITAP provided a trajectory for the flight, showing that the aircraft proceeded toward its destination. Approximately ten minutes into the flight, radar observations indicated that the aircraft's airspeed decreased to 90 knots. Roughly four minutes after this deceleration, the radar target began a rapid descent at a rate of 5,400 feet per minute before disappearing from radar coverage.
Witnesses on the scene reported observing an aircraft impact the water near Bimini between 08:30 and 09:00 that same morning. Despite search efforts, neither the aircraft nor the six occupants were ever found. The aircraft sustained presumed total destruction, and all passengers and crew are believed to have perished.
Findings
Official investigations into the disappearance concluded that the specific reason for the occurrence remained undetermined.