Coast Guard Ends Search for 6 Aboard Medical Jet That Vanished Off Nantucket
A Canadian-registered Gulfstream G-100 flying a patient from Bermuda to Boston lost contact after a steep descent, and debris was found Saturday night. The operator says all six aboard are presumed dead.
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search on Sunday for six people aboard a medical transport jet that disappeared over the Atlantic south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, after crews spent roughly 66 hours looking for survivors and found only debris.
The aircraft, a Canadian-registered Gulfstream G-100, took off from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda at about 11:40 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, bound for Boston Logan International Airport. It lost contact at around 1 a.m. local time on Saturday. According to FlightAware data, the jet descended rapidly from about 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet before the signal was lost. The flight had been in the air for about an hour and 45 minutes.
Four crew members and two passengers were aboard. Four of the six were Canadians and two were Bermudian nationals. The operator, Latitude Air Ambulance, said the four crew members, the patient and the patient's family escort are presumed to have died. The company described the outcome as a "heartbreaking reality."
A debris field belonging to the aircraft was found Saturday night. The Coast Guard searched an area of 4,445 square miles off Nantucket with HC-144 Ocean Sentry and HC-130 Hercules aircraft, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and two surface vessels. No survivors were located.
"Suspending a search is not an easy decision," Rear Adm. Matthew Lake said in a statement. "We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy."
The National Transportation Safety Board is monitoring the situation, and recovered debris components have been safeguarded for a future investigation. Investigators have not announced a cause. The rapid descent recorded in the flight data is one of the first details they are expected to examine, along with the aircraft's maintenance history, the crew's records and weather conditions along the route.
Air ambulance flights like this one carry patients between hospitals when ground transport is not an option, often on short notice and over long distances. The Bermuda-to-Boston run crosses roughly 700 miles of open ocean.
For the families, the suspension of the active search marks a painful turning point. The search lasted about 66 hours and covered a vast stretch of ocean before the Coast Guard concluded it. Debris recovery and the NTSB inquiry continue, and officials say more details will come as investigators examine what was found.
The flight path adds to the questions. The jet climbed out of Bermuda late Friday night and had reached about 24,000 feet before the sudden drop. Contact ended roughly an hour and 45 minutes into the trip, which put the aircraft over open water south of Nantucket. Crews found a debris field Saturday night, and the recovered components are being preserved for investigators.
Latitude Air Ambulance has not said what condition the patient was in or why the transfer to Boston was ordered. The company's statement focused on the crew and the family escort, and on its support for relatives of everyone aboard.
The NTSB typically leads investigations of civil aviation accidents in U.S. waters. Because the jet was Canadian-registered, Canadian authorities may also take part, though officials have not detailed how the inquiry will be divided.
