A small airplane with four people, including a prominent New York CEO and her two small children, vanished en route to Florida from Puerto Rico and a search is underway near the Bahamas, the Coast Guard said on Tuesday.
Crews were scouring the waters 37 miles east of Eleuthera, Bahamas, in an attempt to locate Jennifer Blumin, 40, Nathan Ulrich, 52, and her two sons, ages 10 and 4, the Coast Guard said on its website.
Debris was found 15 miles off the coast, but no survivors have been found, according to reports.
#BreakingNews @USCG helo crew locates debris field approx. 15 mi E of Eleuthera, Bahamas. Search for survivors continues, more to follow.
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) May 16, 2017
Blumin is the founder and chief executive of Skylight Group, a Manhattan firm that finds venues for top fashion shows.
Ulrich is a pilot from Lee, New Hampshire. According to reports, he has flown privately for Blumin and her family, but authorities do not know if he was flying at the time. No other pilot was listed on the fight.
The MU-2B plane was reported lost after failing to arrive on Monday at Titusville, Florida, 40 miles west of Orlando on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. It had departed Borinquen, Puerto Rico, at about 11 a.m. local time Monday.
#Update Picture of overdue aircraft, MU-2B airplane, tail number N220N. https://t.co/49uGJTgVDt pic.twitter.com/VoBOSvVDC3
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) May 16, 2017
“We can confirm that the plane carrying Jennifer Blumin and members of her family has gone missing after taking off from Puerto Rico yesterday,” a statement from Skylight Group read. “Her family is working with investigators and we politely ask that you respect their privacy at this time.”
The 10-seat plane is registered to Ithaca Consulting, registered to the same Southold, New York, address for Blumin and James Ramsey, according to Newsday.
Ramsey is a Manhattan architect and principal of the design studio, Raad. The couple was profiled in a The New York Times article when they purchased and renovated a TriBeCa loft from the 1930s.
Miami Air Traffic Control reported losing radar and radio contact with the plane at 2:10 p.m. Monday, the Coast Guard said.
At the time, the aircraft was off Eleuthera, flying at a speed of 300 knots at an altitude of 24,000 feet, the Coast Guard said.
“There’s no indication of significant adverse weather at the time,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Kelly, a Coast Guard spokesman, told ABC7.
Assisting the Coast Guard in the search, which began by air on Monday, were the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Ulrich is the ex-husband of Canadian-American actress Rae Dawn Chong. Chong, daughter of comedian and actor Tommy Chong, is known for her roles in “The Color Purple” and “Commando”.
Kimberly M. Aquilina contributed to this report.
