10,000 feet to 3,700 feet in just three minutes. Silvi Larrieu

The US Coast Guard is assisting authorities in the Bahamas with the search for the downed aircraft with an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane, the agency said in a statement on social media.

Mario Lamar, the pilot, was well-trained and has  more than 40 years of flying experience,  his family told ABC News in a statement.

Sofia Sosa is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University. Her brother, Christian Sosa, also just graduated from Loyola Marymount University, the outlet reported.