BOSTON (AP) – The Coast Guard was searching for a small private plane inbound from New York that was reported missing off the coast of Nantucket on Thursday evening.

The pilot was believed to be the only person aboard, authorities said.

The twin-engine Beechcraft was flying at an altitude of 200 feet and was about two-and-a-half miles from Nantucket Memorial Airport when it disappeared from radar around 4:45 p.m., said Jim Peters, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The pilot was believed to be the only person aboard the six-passenger aircraft, which is registered to Herradura Inc. of New York, Peters said.

He said the pilot spoke to FAA air traffic controllers at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod shortly before the plane disappeared. The plane already had been cleared to land at the Nantucket airport, and the pilot did not issue a distress signal.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Kelly Newlin said there was no immediate sign of any wreckage in the water or on land, although police told the Coast Guard they saw a red light in the water near the airport’s runway.

“We’re not exactly sure if it went into the water or not,” she added.

The Coast Guard dispatched a Falcon jet and a cutter to join the search.