A Boston-bound medical transfer plane carrying six people plunged more than 10,000 feet and lost contact with the FAA off Nantucket, launching a major Coast Guard search.
The Gulfstream G100, operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, left L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda for Boston Logan International Airport and never arrived. Flight tracking data shows the jet dropped from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in three minutes beginning at 1:04 a.m., then contact was lost before its scheduled 1:25 a.m. landing.
The Post reported that four Canadians, two pilots and two medical personnel, and two Bermuda natives, a patient and a family member, were on board. An extensive search and rescue effort is under way in waters off Nantucket as officials and families wait for word.
About 18 minutes before the steep descent, a New York air traffic controller pressed the crew about the aircraft’s condition.
The controller asked: “You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?”
Then: “Are you declaring an emergency or no?”
And moments later: “You’re coming in a little weak so I didn’t hear what your response was.”
The pilot’s full reply on the emergency question was not clearly captured in the available radio traffic. What followed on the tracking data was the rapid altitude loss, then silence.
An FAA spokesperson said a search and rescue alert went out around 1:20 a.m. “The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the aircraft,” the agency said.
The Coast Guard defined a search box starting 13 nautical miles off Nantucket and stretching 30 nautical miles wide by 20 nautical miles long. Air and surface assets answered the call from multiple stations: an Ocean Sentry HC-144 and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod, a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Brant Point, a fast response cutter from the USCGC William Sparling, and an HC-130 Hercules from Air Station Elizabeth City.
Breitbart reported that final radar contact came around 1:23 a.m., and that the flight was carrying out a medical evaluation tied to Bermuda. U.S. Coast Guard Northeast District said air and surface crews had launched in search of the aircraft.
A Logan Airport official confirmed the plane did not arrive as scheduled and said, “our thoughts are with those on board and their loved ones as the search continues.”
Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations for Latitude Air Ambulance, struck a careful note as the company waited for contact from its crew.
"We always get rather concerned when our crew doesn’t report to us in a timely manner... optimistically and positively, that doesn’t mean that the worst has happened"
Bermuda Premier David Burt said his government was in contact with the families and posted a public statement.
"My thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time. We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing efforts,"
Canada’s Minister of Transport, Steven MacKinnon, said he was working with the relevant authorities as the rescue effort continued. He added:
"My thoughts are with everyone on board, as well as their families, loved ones and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time,"
The National Transit Safety Review Board said it is “currently gathering information” on the incident. No cause for the altitude drop or the loss of contact has been established. No wreckage or survivors had been publicly confirmed when officials issued their statements.
Six people left Bermuda on a medical transfer run that should have ended on a runway in Boston. Instead, a steep plunge, weak radio replies, and a wide ocean search are what the public record shows so far, and the crews still looking deserve every chance to bring them home.
