Coast Guard Searches for Missing Air Ambulance Off Nantucket; Debris Found

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a Gulfstream G100 medical transport jet that vanished south of Nantucket early Saturday morning while flying from Bermuda to Boston, carrying a patient, a family member, and a four-person crew.

Coast Guard boats, planes, and helicopters launched the search after the flight disappeared from radar around 1 a.m. Air traffic controllers in New York had struggled to communicate with the jet as it descended rapidly toward the Atlantic. Data from FlightAware shows the plane dropped 13,000 feet within three minutes.

"You're coming in blind? Is that what you said?" a controller asked the pilot at about 12:46 a.m., according to recordings captured by LiveATC.net. "Are you declaring an emergency, or no?" The pilot's response was not audible. The controller later confirmed the pilot had declared an emergency but struggled to reestablish contact.

The plane, operated by Latitude Air Ambulance of Ontario, departed L. F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda at 11:41 p.m. Friday. As the jet approached Nantucket, the pilot reported electrical failures in radio transmissions.

By Saturday evening, the Coast Guard confirmed searchers had found debris. The six passengers and crew were still unaccounted for. The crew members are Canadian citizens and the passengers are Bermudian nationals, according to Clarence Togeretz, operations manager for Latitude Air Ambulance. The Bermuda Gazette reported the passengers were a patient and their son.

"We are praying that all six people will be found safe," said Bermuda Premier David Burt.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said her "thoughts and prayers go out to all on board and all involved," adding that the state would support Coast Guard efforts. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert at 1:20 a.m., triggering the search-and-rescue mission.

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate.

Reporting by The Boston Globe. Read the original report: US Coast Guard searching for air ambulance, carrying 6, after it vanished on route to Boston.