Airplane Had Departed Fort Lauderdale En Route To Cozumel

A Lear 35 flying an air medical mission from Florida to Cozumel, Mexico went down shortly after takeoff Tuesday night, resulting in the expected fatal injury of the four people on board.

Authorities have recovered the remains of two of the people from the aircraft. An SAR effort was underway Wednesday to locate the other two.

Data from Flight Aware indicates the Mexican-registered airplane reportedly departed from Fort Lauderdale International Airport at 1951 EST Tuesday. By 1955 EST, the Lear was about 100 feet off the surface of the water, and it went down in the Atlantic Ocean about a mile offshore.

The Miami Herald reports that there were two pilots and two medical personnel on board the airplane. The airplane and its crew had delivered a patient to Florida and were returning to Mexico when it went down. The pilot of the airplane reported a mechanical problem and requested a return to the airport.

The plane was last registered to AirEvac International. It was not clear if the pilots were employed by the company.

None of those on board has been positively identified by authorities.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov