US authorities are searching for survivors after a private plane carrying four passengers disappeared above the Bermuda Triangle on Monday.

The US Coast Guard said the plane was east of the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas on Monday morning when it lost radar and radio contact with air traffic control.

Patrols were searching for the twin-engine MU-2B airplane and its four American passengers on Tuesday when it located debris 24 kilometres east of Eleuthera suspected to belong to the small aircraft.

On board was prominent New York fashionista Jennifer Blumin, 40, Nathan Ulrich, 52, and Blumin’s two sons, aged three and four.

The debris was spotted by helicopter crew and a rescue swimmer was dispatched to retrieve samples to be taken ashore for identification.

At the time of writing authorities were yet to be confirm if the debris is from the missing plane.

The MU-2B airplane departed Borinquen, Puerto Rico, at about 11am Monday (local time) and became overdue after failing to arrive in Titusville, Florida.

At 2.10pm, Miami Air Traffic Control reported the plane missing after it lost contact 59km east of Eleuthera.

Communication was reported lost at 24,000 feet with a speed of 300 knots, the Coast Guard said.

#Update Picture of overdue aircraft, MU-2B airplane, tail number N220N. https://t.co/49uGJTgVDt pic.twitter.com/VoBOSvVDC3

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) May 16, 2017

The reason for the plane’s disappearance remained a mystery, on Wednesday.

Coast Guard spokesman Lieutenant commander Ryan Kelly reported “There was no indication of significant adverse weather at the time”.

“We are still searching and that search is going to go on through the night and into tomorrow.”

The Bermuda Triangle is a notorious hotspot for aviation and boating incidents, with hundreds of disappearances reported since its conception in the 1950s.

The zone stretches from the southeastern coast of the United States and forms a triangular zone between Miami, San Juan and Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean.

‘It had to be a plane issue’

The pilot’s ex-wife Rae Dawn Chong, the daughter of comedian Tommy Chong, told the New York Daily News her former partner was such a good pilot that the mishap must have been caused by equipment malfunction.

“He’s an excellent pilot. You couldn’t get a better pilot,” she said.

“I’ve flown many hundreds of miles with him. It had to be a plane issue.”

https://twitter.com/Rae_Dawn_Chong/status/864541463874486273

Mr Ulrich, 52, was listed as the pilot but it is not known who was flying at the time of the plane’s disappearance, Mr Kelly said.

He is a co-founder of Xootr, a New York manufacturer of folding scooters and bicycles.

Ms Blumin owned the plane through a consulting company, according to New York State and aviation records.

Ms Blumin is the founder and CEO of Skylight Group, which provides event space around New York City, specialising in the fashion industry, WABC reported.

Skylight Group has designed sets for clients such as Ralph Lauren and Kanye West. Ms Blumin is known for transforming derelict old buildings into “dazzling event spaces,” according to the New York Daily News.

The company confirmed she and members of her family were on the plane.

“Her family is working with investigators and we politely ask that you respect their privacy at this time,” said Coast Guard spokesman Mr Kelly said.