Debris Found in Search for Missing Bermuda-Boston Air Ambulance

A debris field has been found off Nantucket, Massachusetts, during the search for a Canadian-registered air ambulance that disappeared over the Atlantic while flying from Bermuda to Boston. The Gulfstream G100 was carrying six people: four Canadians and two Bermudian nationals, including four crew members and two passengers. The US Coast Guard said the aircraft went missing early Saturday and that the search would continue overnight and into Sunday. It also said the missing people’s next of kin had been notified. Federal Aviation Administration information cited by the Coast Guard indicates the plane lost contact very early Saturday morning. Air traffic control audio suggests the pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as the aircraft approached the US coast. A controller asked whether the pilot was “coming in blind.” Preliminary flight-tracking data showed the jet descending from about 7.3 kilometres to around three kilometres. A storm was moving across its path. Mary Schiavo, a former US Department of Transportation inspector-general and aviation attorney, said the aircraft may have lost navigational instruments. She described the combination of instrument failure, a sharp descent and storm conditions as dangerous, noting that pilots can become disoriented when they cannot tell whether they are turning, climbing or descending. The Bermuda airport operator, Skyport, confirmed the aircraft had departed L.F. Wade International Airport on a night flight to Massachusetts with four crew and two passengers. Canada’s Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said Transport Canada was working with authorities on search-and-rescue efforts. Bermuda Premier David Burt said his government was in contact with US authorities and the families, and expressed hope that all six people would be found safe. The US National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information but had not immediately confirmed whether it would investigate.

The US Coast Guard has found debris off Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, confirmed to be associated with a missing Canadian-registered air ambulance. The Coast Guard said one of its cutters would continue searching overnight and into Sunday for the six people aboard. The Gulfstream jet had been flying from Bermuda to Boston when the Federal Aviation Administration reported losing contact with it early Saturday. The aircraft departed Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport at 12:41am local time. According to Bermuda airport operator Skyport, it carried four crew members and two passengers. Canada’s Minister of Transport, Steven MacKinnon, said four Canadians were aboard; the Coast Guard identified the other two as Bermudian nationals. The plane was registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, an Ontario-based company providing medical evacuation services. Flight tracking data indicated that the jet flew at about 24,000 feet for much of its route, then descended roughly 13,000 feet in about two minutes shortly before controllers lost contact. Audio posted by LiveATC.net captured an air traffic controller asking the pilot to confirm that the aircraft was “coming in blind.” The pilot’s reply was not audible, but the controller later confirmed that the pilot had declared an emergency before communications ended. Bermuda Premier David Burt said the government was in contact with US authorities and the passengers’ families, and expressed hope that all six people would be found safe. Latitude Air Ambulance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US authorities have found debris from a Gulfstream G-100 medical transport aircraft that went missing off Nantucket, Massachusetts, with six people aboard. The Federal Aviation Administration said it lost contact with the aircraft shortly after 01:00 local time on Saturday as it travelled from Bermuda to Boston. The US Coast Guard said the search for survivors was continuing, with ships, helicopters and aircraft involved, and that crews planned to search through the night. Next of kin have been notified. Those aboard included four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals. Latitude Air Ambulances, which operates international medical flights, owned the plane. Its director of flight operations told CBC News that two pilots and two Canadian medical staff were aboard; they had flown to Bermuda to collect a patient and a relative, neither of whom was Canadian. Flight data indicates the aircraft departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda at 23:40 local time and was expected to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport at 01:30 EDT. Tracking data showed it descending sharply from about 7,300m to 3,300m before communications stopped. Radio transmissions reported by the Boston Globe indicate the pilot and air traffic controller had difficulty communicating. The controller asked whether the plane was approaching “blind” and whether the pilot was declaring an emergency; the pilot’s initial response was inaudible. The controller later confirmed that an emergency had been declared. An area fire dispatcher had earlier instructed emergency crews to prepare for a plane reporting an electrical issue, then said the aircraft had lost radio and radar contact. The Coast Guard said it would provide another update on Sunday morning local time.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that debris from a Gulfstream G100 air ambulance was found floating off Nantucket as crews searched for the aircraft, which vanished early Saturday while flying from Bermuda to Boston. The Boston-based Coast Guard cutter William Sparling was sent to the site to examine wreckage and identify the plane’s parts. Six people were aboard: four Canadians, including two pilots and two medics, and a Bermudian patient and the patient’s relative. Their names had not been released. The Coast Guard planned to provide a search-and-rescue update at a Sunday press conference. The agency said an investigation would likely be led by the National Transportation Safety Board or Canada’s Transportation Safety Board. The plane disappeared from Federal Aviation Administration radar before its scheduled 1:25 a.m. arrival at Boston Logan International Airport. Air traffic control recordings captured a controller trying to establish whether the pilot was approaching without visibility and asking whether the pilot was declaring an emergency. Flight data showed the aircraft descending from 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet in about three minutes, beginning around 1:04 a.m., before stabilizing. A Massport dispatcher later warned emergency crews that the aircraft had an electrical issue and had lost radio and radar. An FAA search-and-rescue alert was triggered around 1:20 a.m., and the agency said it was coordinating with the Coast Guard and a rescue coordination center. Former Transportation Department inspector general Mary Schiavo suggested that the plane may have lost navigational instruments while flying through a storm. She said a loss of instruments in those conditions could leave a crew disoriented. The article notes that the Coast Guard identifies victims or missing people only after next of kin have been notified.

The US Coast Guard is searching for six people after a Canadian-registered air ambulance disappeared during a flight from Bermuda to Boston. Late Saturday, the Coast Guard said it had found debris off Nantucket Island, south of mainland Massachusetts, and that search efforts would continue through the night. The Gulfstream G-100 lost contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Saturday morning. The FAA said it issued a search-and-rescue alert at about 1.20am local time. The aircraft had departed Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport at 12.41am, according to flight-tracking data, and was operated by Ontario-based Latitude Air Ambulance. Four crew members and two passengers were aboard. Canada’s transport minister, Steven MacKinnon, said four people on the aircraft were Canadian; the Coast Guard said the other two passengers were Bermudian nationals. FlightAware data showed the aircraft cruising at 24,000 feet before descending 13,000 feet in about two minutes shortly before controllers lost contact. An audio clip posted by Boston 25 captured a controller asking the pilot whether they were “coming in blind” and whether the aircraft was declaring an emergency. No response was heard. Bermuda’s government said it was in contact with US authorities and the passengers’ families. Latitude’s director of flight operations, Clarence Togeretz, told NBC News that the company was concerned because the crew had not checked in, but cautioned that this did not necessarily mean the worst had happened. Boston’s port authority confirmed the plane did not arrive as scheduled and expressed concern for those aboard and their loved ones. The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and Coast Guard in the search.