Search Ends After Medical Jet Crashes Off Nantucket

The United States Coast Guard has suspended its search for six people aboard a medical transport jet that crashed while traveling from Bermuda to Boston. The Gulfstream G100, operated as Heartbeat 104 by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance, was carrying two pilots, two medical staff, a patient and the patient’s relative. Authorities said the four crew members were Canadian and the two passengers were Bermudian. Search teams worked for about 66 hours, covering 4,445 miles (7,150km) by air and sea. They confirmed that debris found off Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, came from the aircraft. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Matthew Lake said suspending the search was not an easy decision. Latitude Air Ambulance said that, following the conclusion of the search-and-rescue phase, the people on board were presumed to have died. Attention has shifted to the circumstances of the crash. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descending steeply in its final minutes, while air traffic controllers were unable to re-establish contact. The cause has not been determined. The Federal Aviation Administration alerted the Coast Guard at about 2am on Saturday after contact with the jet was lost. Lake said the water near the debris was about 80 to 90 feet (24–27 metres) deep, and offered condolences to the families while thanking the agencies involved in the response. Latitude Air Ambulance specializes in medical evacuation and repatriation flights, transporting patients home from other countries. The company said its missions are normally staffed by two pilots and medical personnel.

Six people aboard a medical transport aircraft that disappeared while flying from Bermuda to Boston are presumed dead, the aircraft’s operator, Latitude Air Ambulance, said Sunday. The U.S. Coast Guard ended its search for survivors off Nantucket, Massachusetts, that evening. The passengers were four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals. The flight, Heartbeat 104, carried two pilots and two medical staff, along with a patient and the patient’s family escort. The Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the Gulfstream G-100 shortly after 01:00 local time on Saturday. The aircraft had departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda late Friday and was due to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport at 01:30 EDT. Authorities found a debris field confirmed to be from the plane on Saturday evening. Flight data indicated that the aircraft had descended sharply, from about 7,300 metres to 3,300 metres, before communications were lost. Radio recordings reported by the Boston Globe suggest the pilot and an air traffic controller had difficulty communicating. The controller asked whether the pilot was “coming in blind” and whether an emergency was being declared; the pilot’s response was inaudible. The controller later confirmed that an emergency had been declared. A fire dispatcher had earlier told emergency crews to prepare for an aircraft with an electrical issue, then reported that it had lost radio and radar contact. Latitude expressed condolences and said it was focusing on supporting families, assisting authorities, and cooperating with recovery efforts and investigations. The company cautioned that determining the cause of an aviation accident requires a careful process and said it would not speculate. Latitude is a Canadian company that provides international medical flights.

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for six people aboard a medical aircraft that disappeared over the Atlantic while flying from Bermuda to Boston. The missing passengers and crew included four Canadians and two people from Bermuda. The Coast Guard said its teams searched more than 7,081 kilometres (4,400 miles) over 66 hours before ending the operation. Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, commander of the Coast Guard’s northeast district, described suspending the search as a difficult decision, offered condolences to the families and loved ones, and thanked partner agencies that supported the effort. The Federal Aviation Administration alerted the Coast Guard at 2 a.m. Saturday that it had lost contact with the aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 carrying six people. Searchers later found a debris field off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The article reports the suspension and the key details of the search and aircraft’s disappearance; it does not state what caused the incident or provide further information about the people aboard.

The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for six people aboard a medical transport aircraft that crashed off Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The Gulfstream jet was travelling from Bermuda to Boston’s Logan International Airport when debris from the aircraft was found late on October 3. Coast Guard aircraft and vessels searched the area on October 4 but did not locate the passengers or crew. The people aboard were four Canadians and two Bermudians, according to officials. The aircraft was registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, a Canadian air medical transport provider, and had departed Bermuda at 12:41 a.m. on October 3. Latitude said the six people—including four members of its team, a patient and the patient’s family escort—are presumed dead. The company expressed its grief and said it would cooperate with US and Canadian authorities on recovery efforts and the investigation into the crash. The US National Transportation Safety Board and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are among the agencies involved. A recording posted by Boston television station Boston 25 captured an air traffic controller asking the pilot whether he was declaring an emergency; no response was heard. Rear-Admiral Matthew Lake, commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District, said suspending a search was not an easy decision. The article reports the end of the search-and-rescue phase but does not establish why the aircraft crashed.