Florida

Coast Guard Searching for Survivors After Florida-Bound Plane Goes Missing Near the Bahamas

The twin-engine MU-2B was about 37 miles east of the island of Eleuthera on Monday when air traffic control in Miami lost radar and radio contact with the plane at 2:10 p.m., the Coast Guard said

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has located a debris field believed to be the wreckage of a Florida-bound plane with four people on board, including a prominent New York businesswoman and her two children, that went missing in the Bahamas after leaving Puerto Rico.

The Coast Guard tweeted Tuesday afternoon that the agency's Southeast helicopter crew found a debris field about 15 miles east of Eleuthera, and were continuing to search for survivors.

The debris appeared to be from a plane and an oil slick was spotted in the search area but authorities were still trying to determine whether it came from the missing plane, said Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Kelly, a Coast Guard spokesman.

 "We are still searching and that search is going to go on through the night and into tomorrow," Kelly said.

The twin-engine MU-2B was about 37 miles east of the island of Eleuthera on Monday when air traffic control in Miami lost radar and radio contact with the plane at 2:10 p.m., the Coast Guard said. It was was en route to Titusville, along the northeastern coast of Florida, but never made it to its destination.

The passengers on board the plane were identified as Jennifer Blumin, 40, of New York, and her 3-year-old and 4-year-old sons. Kelly confirmed Nathan Ulrich, 52, of Lee, New Hampshire, was listed as the pilot but it was not known who was flying the plane when it disappeared.

Blumin is the founder and CEO of Skylight Group, a New York-based event space company specializing in the fashion industry. Skylight confirmed Blumin and members of her family were on the plane in a statement.

"Her family is working with investigators and we politely ask that you respect their privacy at this time," the company said.

Blumin is married to architect James Ramsey. The couple was featured in an Open House New York video in 2015.

Officers arrived at the scene near Northwest 67th Street and 12th Avenue around 3 a.m., where the 5-year-old was found and rushed to the operating room at Ryder Trauma Center in stable condition.

Their plane was at about 24,000 feet when air traffic control lost contact. Officials said it's unknown why the plane never made it to its destination.

"There's no indication of significant adverse weather at the time," Kelly said.

Blumin owned the plane through a consulting company she owned, according to New York State and aviation records. 

Karl Ulrich, Nathan's brother, released a statement on behalf of the family Tuesday evening saying they were "devastated and shocked to learn that Nathan, Jennifer and her children have been missing." The family said Ulrich is a "beloved son, brother and uncle," and they hope for a resolution to this disappearance.

Ulrich was a Coast Guard Auxiliarist out of Air Station Cape Cod from 2005 to 2014.

Customs and Border Patrol and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force are assisting the Coast Guard in the search.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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