Beech Musketeer N925RZ

   On January 11, 1979, St. Thomas mechanic Roy Ziegler took his friend, Brian Fines, with him in his Beechcraft Musketeer. They took off from Opa-Locka, Florida, early dawn, listing St. Thomas as their terminal destination. It was a good time to fly home. The weather forecast for the Bahamas archipelago was for widely scattered rain showers and mild to moderate turbulence in some regions. For the tropics, nothing remarkable.

       Ziegler maintained aircraft in tiptop condition. The Musketeer was
           equipped with a new radio, homing devices, two VOR radios, and
             an ELT.

                 At 8:47 a.m. Ziegler reported to Nassau that he was presently
                 over Georgetown on Great Exuma Island, the main island
                 in the Exumas chain. His next stop was Mathewtown on
                 Great Inagua, the Bahamanian halfway island for flights
               bound to the Caribbean. He signed off. All was normal.

             Thereafter nothing is known of Ziegler or Fines. They never
             made Great Inagua, nor was any SOS picked up from a ground
             station. No debris was found in a search and no ELT signal indicated
         any impact.

             In the aftermath of the search, a bright “flare” was reported by the
       Search Vessel Hawkesville. It was incredibly brief, lasting only two seconds, but was brilliant enough to be scene at a great distance. The light was never explained and was described as a flare. When the Hawkesville arrived at the scene they found no trace of anything.