Small Plane Disappeared Off South Carolina Coast, Reportedly Crashed Into Atlantic Ocean

Search and rescue operation was underway for a small plane that disappeared from radar over the Atlantic Ocean after taking off from an airport in South Carolina on Thursday. The aircraft was scheduled to fly to Governor’s Harbour Airport in the Bahamas.

According to reports, the Piper PA-31 aircraft took off from Robert F. Swinnie Airport at 10:47 a.m. EDT on Thursday. The twin-engine aircraft disappeared from the radar less than an hour later while it was flying over the Atlantic Ocean, about 177 kilometers (110 miles) east of Charleston.

The U.S. Coast Guard was notified of an in-flight emergency before the contact was lost. The plane was believed to have crashed into the ocean, Street Wise Journal reported.

The Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center in Florida too received a report of an in-flight emergency from the aircraft. A couple of minutes later, the air traffic control lost contact with the plane and notified the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

While the Cutter Hamilton crew will continue to search for the aircraft throughout the night, the Air Assets will comb the area Friday morning. The U.S. Coast Guard too said in a statement that several aircrafts and vessels were involved in the search, BNO News reported.

Though the aircraft has the capacity of carrying up to nine people, the number of persons onboard was unknown. The plane was registered to a company based in Delaware.

In a similar incident in May 2017, a plane disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle leaving two adults and two children missing. Miami Air Traffic Control lost radar and radio contact of the Mitsubishi twin-engine turboprop, three hours after into the flight from Puerto Rico. The plane was returning to Florida.

The aircraft had pilot Nathan Ulrich, 52, CEO of Skylight event planning in Manhattan, Jennifer Blumin, 40, and her two young sons, aged 3 and 4. The plane was owned by Blum.

The Coast Guard said debris was found about 15 miles east of Eluethra, Bahamas two days later.

“They recovered a few things to ID and help the investigation. We’re searching as long as we think we can find them alive,” Coast Guard spokesman Eric Woodall said.

An unidentified man who answered the phone at Blumin’s parents’ home said, “We’re waiting for the Coast Guard to tell us whether our grandchildren and our children are alive. We’re waiting with bated breath for the Coast Guard to call.”

The family was celebrating Mother’s Day in Puerto Rico.