The US Coast Guard has dispatched air and surface crews to search for an air ambulance that went missing while carrying six people on a flight from Bermuda to Boston. The US Federal Aviation Administration reported to the Coast Guard early on Saturday that it had lost contact with the plane, a Gulfstream jet, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson in an email to Reuters. The search is focused near Nantucket, an island community south of mainland Massachusetts.
The National Transportation Safety Board is gathering information about the situation but has not provided further updates as of Saturday morning. The Canadian-registered air ambulance jet had four crew members and two passengers on board when it departed Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport overnight for the flight to Massachusetts, according to a statement from Skyport, the operator of Bermuda airport.
Canada’s Minister of Transport, Steven MacKinnon, stated on social media that four Canadians were on the plane. He added, "We are closely monitoring the situation and are working with the relevant authorities as search and rescue efforts continue."
The aircraft, registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, departed Bermuda at 12:41 AM local time (03:41 GMT), according to data from flight tracking website FlightAware. The plane was flying at 24,000 feet (7,300 meters) for much of the flight before descending 13,000 feet (3,960 meters) in about two minutes shortly before flight controllers lost contact.
Air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net provided insight into the flight’s final communications before it went missing. A controller asked the pilot, "Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?" The pilot’s response was not captured in the recording, but the controller later confirmed that the pilot declared an emergency just before losing contact with the plane.
The Bermuda government is in contact with US authorities and the families of the passengers, as stated by Bermuda Premier David Burt in an Instagram post. He expressed hope for the safe return of all six individuals. Latitude Air Ambulance, based in Ontario, Canada, provides medical evacuation services but did not immediately respond to a request for comment.