St Vincent Minister of National Security, Major St Clair Leacock, has provided a startling update regarding the Dominican Republic-registered aircraft that vanished en route to Tobago, stating that the plane has not crashed and that regional authorities know its current location.
The twin-engine Beechcraft Baron, registration HI-1145, departed Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent at 11:52 a.m. on June 12. Carrying two people, the aircraft was scheduled for a 65-minute flight to the A.N.R. Robinson International Airport in Tobago. However, radio contact was lost after a standard communication transfer approximately 40 nautical miles south of Argyle, and tracking data abruptly ceased over the Southern Caribbean Sea.
Speaking on the “New Times” radio program, Minister Leacock addressed the public’s growing safety and security concerns. “What I can say is that to the best of my knowledge, the aircraft has not crashed and there has not been a loss of life,” Leacock revealed.
He further disclosed that a coalition of national, regional, and international agencies—including CARICOM IMPACS and the Regional Security System (RSS)—is actively tracking the situation. “They know where the plane is at,” Leacock stated, adding that authorities also “have names to associate with the planes”.
Rather than a standard search and recovery mission for wreckage, the National Security Minister indicated that the operation is heavily intelligence-driven. He emphasized that authorities are closely monitoring the developments, focusing “not so much on the aircraft because aircraft don’t fly themselves [but] the people who fly in that aircraft”.
Citing the “very delicate stage” of the intelligence operations, Leacock firmly declined to provide further specifics. He noted that sharing more detailed information with the public right now would compromise the ongoing work of the security agencies and potentially jeopardize safety.
Leacock contextualized the incident within broader regional security challenges. Following recent high-level security meetings in Trinidad and Barbados, he noted that regional bodies are heavily monitoring aerial and marine movements. According to Leacock, increased maritime enforcement by the U.S. government has resulted in “more strange aircraft moving through the region”. He warned that authorities must closely monitor planes that land and depart for other activities, as these shifting routes are sometimes used to traffic illicit cargo, including guns and ammunition.
The disappearance of HI-1145 marks the second aircraft to vanish along a similar flight path recently, following an unresolved disappearance in December 2023. This pattern prompted a radio caller to ask whether Civil Aviation should be shifted from the Ministry of Tourism back to the Ministry of National Security.
Leacock acknowledged the validity of the concern, noting that aviation inherently involves “a huge element of security matters,” including airport security, air safety, and passenger tracking. While he stated that such portfolio assignments are ultimately the Prime Minister’s prerogative, he assured the public that the Ministry of National Security remains deeply involved and retains “dotted lines to that responsibility”.