Four Family Members, Including Grandparents and Two Grandchildren, Killed in Piper PA-34 Crash Near Bahamas
Why It MattersThe fatal accident underscores the persistent safety risks of piston-twin flights on the Bahamas-Florida corridor, a route heavily used by private and light-aircraft operators.
Four members of the same family were killed when their small plane crashed in waters near North Andros in the Bahamas on Monday, September 7. The victims were identified as Mario Lamar Sr., 80, his wife Lili Lamar, 79, and their grandchildren Sofi Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22.
The family had departed Great Harbour Cay at approximately 10:12 a.m. aboard a Piper PA-34 bound for Miami Executive Airport in Florida. The aircraft's last recorded contact came at around 11:04 a.m. near the western side of Andros Island, and the Royal Bahamas Police Force said it received word at approximately 2:20 p.m. that an aircraft may have gone down in waters near Red Bays.
Mario Lamar Sr. was the pilot, described by the family as an experienced aviator with more than 40 years of flying experience who had made the Bahamas-to-Florida trip many times and maintained the plane meticulously; a relative, Silvi Larrieu, said he kept the aircraft "in pristine condition." A search launched after the disappearance was complicated by inclement weather, forcing authorities to temporarily suspend operations. On Tuesday morning a family member who had joined the search by boat discovered the first body, and the remaining three bodies were recovered shortly afterward. Authorities have not publicly announced a cause for the crash.
