A medical evacuation jet traveling from Bermuda to Boston has gone missing over the Atlantic Ocean.
The Canadian registered Gulfstream G100 operated by Latitude Air Ambulance left Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport at around 12.41am local time on Saturday, according to Reuters. Reuters reported that the Gulfstream had been flying at around 24,000 feet before dropping about 13,000 feet in roughly two minutes. The Associated Press also reported that the aircraft descended to around 10,000 feet before contact was lost. The Boston Globe reported that the plane was around 80 miles south of Nantucket when emergency crews at Logan were told to prepare for its arrival. The FAA issued a search and rescue alert at around 1.20am, according to the Boston Globe. The Coast Guard said the search had covered about 1,644 square miles by the time the debris was located, according to the Nantucket Current.
The aircraft had reported an emergency and electrical problems before losing radio and radar contact. The US Coast Guard then launched aircraft and vessels to search the waters south of Nantucket. The debris was located south of Nantucket and was confirmed to be associated with the aircraft.
The controller asked the pilot, “Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said? The Coast Guard later confirmed that it had found a “debris field” from the missing medical flight.
The US Coast Guard later found a debris field linked to the missing aircraft off Nantucket. It was headed for Boston Logan International Airport with six people on board. Air traffic control recordings posted by LiveATC.net captured the final exchanges. The pilot’s response was not clearly audible. The controller then asked whether the crew was declaring an emergency. The rapid descent came as the aircraft approached the Massachusetts coast. It never reached Boston. Search operations for the six people on board continued. The discovery provided investigators with physical evidence of the aircraft’s final location. The six people on board included two pilots, two medical personnel, a patient and the patient’s relative. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
The four crew members were Canadian, while the two passengers were from Bermuda, according to the Canadian Press report carried by Stratford Today.
The aircraft was dealing with an electrical problem shortly before contact was lost, according to the Boston Globe. Emergency crews at Boston Logan were told the plane had lost radio and radar contact while approaching the area south of Nantucket. The chilling audio captures the final moments before a medical evacuation jet disappeared over the Atlantic.