| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District |
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| Press Release |
Date: September 30, 2004 Contact: LTjg Eric Willis |
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AIRPLANE MISSING AFTER TAKEOFF, FOUND TWO MILES NORTH OF MANATI, PUERTO RICO SEARCH FOR PILOT CONTINUES SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The pilot of a Britain Norman II, twin engine charter plane remains missing after pieces of the airplane was located two miles north of Manati, Puerto Rico this morning. A Coast Guard helicopter and a 47-foot rescue boat continue to search the area were the debris was located for the missing pilot. Gamiler Rivera, 28, departed Mayaguez airport around 6:35 last night en route San Juan's Isla Grande Airport. The Coast Guard Command Center in San Juan was notified at approximately 8:30 p.m. by the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Association that the aircraft departed Mayaguez, but failed to arrive in San Juan. Coast Guard HH-65 helicopter aircrews from Air Station Borinquen searched through the night, in close coordination with Puerto Rico Police Departments Forces United For Rapid Action (FURA) units. Just before 9:00 a.m. today, pieces of the aircraft were located by FURA personnel patrolling the north coast of Puerto Rico. A FURA helicopter was airborne at the time and directed the units to the scene two miles north of Manati. According to the tower air controller, Rivera planned to head north in an attempt to avoid a developing thunderstorm. This was the last communication received from Rivera. The Federal Aviation Administration reported having no radar contact with the aircraft which made the search area very large. Owned and operated by Flamenco Air, the Britain Norman Islander II airplane is a popular nine passenger island shuttle operating daily charter service within Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It was reported that Rivera was flying 600- pounds of mail to San Juan last night. The Coast Guard Sector San Juan, is the lead maritime search and Rescue coordinator for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and works closely with local agency partners to coordinate search areas and use of all available resources. ### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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