Medical plane goes missing near Nantucket with 6 on board, authorities say
Search underway after air ambulance disappears on route to Boston
Wertynews.com – A Canadian-registered medical aircraft carrying six people vanished from contact early Saturday while traveling from Bermuda to Boston, prompting a large search operation in waters near Nantucket.
The Gulfstream G-100 was operating as an air ambulance flight and departed Bermuda late Friday night. Federal Aviation Administration officials lost communication with the aircraft at roughly 1 a.m. local time, later issuing a Search and Rescue Alert Notice.
The flight had left L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda at about 11:40 p.m. ET and was expected to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport near 1:30 a.m. The aircraft had been airborne for about one hour and 45 minutes when contact was lost.
Six people were aboard the aircraft
Bermuda airport operator Skyport said the medical jet carried four crew members and two passengers. Canada’s transport minister, Steve MacKinnon, said four of the six people aboard were Canadian.
“My thoughts are with everyone on board, as well as their families, loved ones and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time,” MacKinnon said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring the situation and are working with the relevant authorities as search and rescue efforts continue.”
The aircraft is registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, a Canada-based company, using the tail number released by the U.S. Coast Guard. Medical flights can carry patients requiring specialized transport, along with clinical personnel and flight crew, although officials had not publicly identified the passengers or described the purpose of this specific trip.
Bermuda’s government said it had communicated with relatives of those on board. Premier David Burt expressed hope for the people missing as the response continued.
“We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing efforts,” Burt said.
Coast Guard deploys aircraft, helicopter and vessels
The search area is off Nantucket, an island southeast of Cape Cod that sits near major Atlantic air and maritime routes connecting New England with destinations farther south and east. Conditions at sea and the large area involved can make a search over open water especially demanding, with crews relying on aircraft, vessels, radar information and the flight’s final known position.
The Coast Guard Northeast District mobilized several assets for the effort. They include an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft, an HC-130 Hercules airplane, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat and the FRC William Sparling, a Sentinel-class fast response cutter.
Those resources serve different roles during a maritime emergency. Fixed-wing aircraft can cover a broad expanse of ocean, while helicopters can search more closely and respond rapidly if people or debris are located. Coast Guard boats and cutters can remain in the area to support search crews, assess conditions and assist with any rescue effort.
The response began after the FAA received no further communication from the jet. Search-and-rescue alert notices are used to bring together aviation and emergency-response agencies when an aircraft’s status raises immediate concern.
Flight data showed a rapid descent before contact ended
Tracking information showed the Gulfstream flying at about 24,000 feet before descending quickly to roughly 11,000 feet. Its signal then disappeared. The available data did not establish why the altitude changed or what happened after communication was lost.
The route from Bermuda to Boston crosses open Atlantic water before reaching the New England coast. Nantucket’s location makes it a notable point for air traffic approaching Massachusetts from the southeast, but the waters around the island can be far from immediate shore-based assistance.
Authorities had not released the names of those aboard, details about the patient being transported or an explanation for the aircraft’s disappearance. Investigators and search teams typically focus first on locating the aircraft and assisting survivors before determining the circumstances surrounding a loss of contact.
For the families, friends and colleagues of the six people aboard, the search represents an agonizing period of uncertainty. Canadian, Bermudian and U.S. authorities remain involved as Coast Guard crews continue looking across the waters near Nantucket.
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