Agape Flights said contact was lost during a humanitarian flight near Jérémie.
VENICE, FL — A missionary aircraft operated by Florida-based Agape Flights crashed in mountainous terrain in Haiti after the ministry lost contact with the plane during a humanitarian run, officials and the organization said. The wreckage was located the next day, and the group said it believed there were no survivors.
The loss shocked a ministry that has spent decades flying supplies and mail to remote communities across the Caribbean. The crash also drew attention to the difficult conditions crews face in Haiti, where rugged mountains, limited aviation resources, and fast-changing weather can complicate both flight operations and search efforts. Haitian rescue agencies and Agape Flights said they were still working to confirm details about what happened, including the number and identities of those on board.
Agape Flights said it lost contact with the aircraft on the afternoon of Feb. 5 while it was flying over the mountains above the Haitian city of Jérémie, a coastal hub in the country’s southwest. Tracking information and communications dropped off during the flight, the ministry said, and staff began coordinating with Haitian authorities and others to start a search. By Friday, Feb. 6, search teams operating in the area located debris in rugged terrain. In a video message to supporters, Agape Flights President and CEO Allen Speer said the organization did not believe anyone survived. “Today is a day none of us ever imagined,” Speer said, adding that the group was grieving for the pilots’ families.
The aircraft was identified by the ministry and local reports as an Embraer 110 Bandeirante, a twin-engine turboprop often used for short flights and cargo runs. Agape Flights has said the airplane is part of the fleet it uses to transport supplies, medical equipment, and mail to mission partners and clinics across islands and coastal communities. The group did not immediately release the names of those aboard or say how many people were on the flight, saying it wanted to protect families’ privacy while information was confirmed. “We ask for prayers for the pilots and their families, and for the entire family of Agape Flights during this incredibly difficult time,” the organization said in a public statement.
In Haiti, rescue coordination officials said the response began shortly after the alert, but the search was limited by daylight and the remote setting. The area around Jérémie rises quickly from the coast into steep, forested mountains, with narrow roads and few places for large aircraft to land. Haitian reports described a helicopter-assisted search that resumed early Friday and eventually located wreckage scattered across a rural area. The ministry and local outlets said the cause of the crash was not known, and no official findings had been released. Weather was also a focus early on, with reports of unsettled conditions moving through the region around the time contact was lost.
Agape Flights is based at Venice Municipal Airport on Florida’s Gulf Coast and has long specialized in flights to Haiti and nearby nations. The organization says it supports hundreds of missionary families and partner projects, delivering items that range from basic medicine and water-system parts to school materials and everyday mail. For many communities, small planes can provide faster access than road travel, especially when fuel shortages, rough terrain, or insecurity make ground transport difficult. Haiti’s southwest, including the departments around Jérémie and Les Cayes, is home to isolated towns where mountain passes and damaged roads can turn short distances into long trips.
The ministry has faced dangers in Haiti before, including past incidents tied to unrest and disruptions at regional airports, but the latest crash struck at the heart of its aviation mission. In his remarks, Speer described a tight-knit community of pilots, mechanics, office staff, donors, and Haitian partners who depend on each other to keep flights operating. He said the group would share more information when it could, but first needed to ensure families were notified and treated with dignity. The organization also said it was working to support staff members who knew the crew personally and were now dealing with a sudden loss.
Investigators in such crashes typically review flight planning, maintenance records, pilot experience, and communications history, along with any available tracking data. In Haiti, where resources can be limited and terrain can delay recovery work, establishing a timeline can take time. Aviation experts say mountainous flying demands careful route choices, steady situational awareness, and clear weather information, especially when aircraft are operating on tight schedules to deliver cargo. For now, officials have not said whether the plane sent a distress call, whether any onboard emergency locator equipment was detected, or when the aircraft was last seen by anyone on the ground.
On the ground in Venice, the ministry’s base is a place where pallets of donated goods are often staged for loading, and where flights to Haiti and other destinations are routine. Supporters described the operation as part airline, part warehouse, built around volunteer labor and faith-based funding. The loss of an aircraft and crew can disrupt delivery schedules and raise new questions about how quickly the organization can continue its work, especially as Haiti faces ongoing strain from insecurity and shortages. Still, ministry leaders said their immediate focus was on the people behind the mission. Speer said the organization’s “hearts are broken” and that it was mourning alongside the families of the pilots.
As of Sunday, Agape Flights and Haitian officials had not released the names of those aboard or announced an official cause of the crash. The next major steps are expected to include recovery work at the crash site, formal identification of victims, and the start of a detailed investigation into what led to the loss of contact near Jérémie on Feb. 5.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 8, 2026.