Coast Guard, Navy Search for Plane That Went Missing En Route to Bahamas

A US Navy P3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, seen in a file photo, is helping in the search for a missing plane from South Carolina, on Oct. 26, 2018. (Jose Cabezas/AFP/Getty Images)

The Coast Guard and Navy were searching for a plane that went missing from South Carolina, officials said in an update on Oct. 26.

The Piper PA-31, a twin turboprop, was leaving South Carolina on Oct. 25, en route to the Bahamas when air traffic controllers at the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center lost contact with the plane on radar around 11:33 a.m.

Just before losing contact, the pilot sent a report of an in-flight emergency.

The plane departed from Robert F. Swinnie Airport in Andrews, reported Fox Carolina.

The first light search on Friday morning was being conducted by the Coast Guard’s HC-130 Hercules aircraft, the agency said. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton continued the search throughout the night but didn’t find anything.

On Thursday night, the Coast Guard said that two of its vessels, including the Hamilton, and a commercial vessel, the Seabulk Challenge, were searching for the plane approximately 110 miles east of Charleston.

Two of the Coast Guard’s helicopters from the air station in Elizabeth City and a Navy P-3 Orion, a surveillance aircraft, were also involved in the search.

The search for the missing plane was confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which directed all inquiries to the Coast Guard. The administration said it would not confirm the aircraft registration or ownership until they located the missing plane. It wasn’t known how many people were on board the plane.

Elizabeth City

The Coast Guard’s Base Elizabeth City is located across 880 acres in northeastern North Carolina.

It includes an aviation logistics center, an aviation technical training center, an air station, a small boat station, and a national strike force.

“The Base is a regional command that provides logistics, engineering, administrative, financial, purchasing, and healthcare services to Coast Guard units throughout North Carolina,” according to the base’s website.

“The Base Commander synergizes field support delivery, establishes local command unity, and integrates the technical authority of logistics and service centers, product and service lines, and local, coordinated service delivery while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our operational partners to ensure the delivery of professional, responsive and  cost-effective services to the American public.”

From NTD.tv