Baron aircraft vanishes en route from SVG to Tobago

Authorities across the southern Caribbean are searching for answers after a Beech 58P Pressurized Baron aircraft vanished without a trace during a flight from St. Vincent to Tobago.

The Dominican Republic-registered aircraft, bearing the registration number HI-1145, departed from Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent at 11:52 a.m. on the afternoon of June 12th. It was bound for the ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago when Air Traffic Control suddenly lost contact with the plane.

Before its disappearance, the aircraft’s journey was being monitored on the flight tracking website Flightradar24. Tracking data indicated that the plane was operating under visual flight rules (VFR) at an altitude of 4,025 feet and traveling at a speed of approximately 142 knots. However, all data abruptly ceased mid-flight. Based on its last known coordinates, the aircraft disappeared over the Southern Caribbean Sea, placing it somewhere in the vicinity of Grenadian or Venezuelan territorial waters.

The vanished Beech Baron has a capacity for one pilot and four to five passengers, though as of Sunday, authorities have released no details regarding the identities or exact number of occupants on board. There has also been no confirmation of a crash, and no wreckage has been located.

Sources indicate that Argyle Air Traffic Control contacted Piarco in Trinidad and Tobago regarding the sudden loss of communication, and a source at Piarco confirmed to the Trinidadian publication CNC3 that regional authorities are actively “looking for the aircraft”.

Prior to this doomed flight, the aircraft appeared to be operating normally. Flight records show that HI-1145 successfully completed several flights between the island of Canouan and mainland St. Vincent on June 10th and June 12th, landing and taking off without any reported issues. The plane is also known to frequently travel the route between Grenada and Trinidad.

This disappearance marks a disturbing trend in the region. The vanishing of HI-1145 is now the second aircraft to disappear after traversing the Canouan to St. Vincent flight path, with the previous unresolved disappearance occurring just months ago in December 2023.

Search and rescue efforts remain ongoing as aviation authorities in St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, and neighboring nations await any communication or signs of the missing aircraft.

St. Vincent Times