Six aboard medical aircraft presumed dead after wreckage found near Nantucket
All six passengers and crew members aboard a medical transport aircraft are presumed dead after the plane went missing on Saturday whilst travelling from Bermuda to Boston. The US Coast Guard ended its search for survivors on Sunday evening following the discovery of wreckage off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The tragedy represents a significant loss for Latitude Air Ambulance, the Canadian medical transport operator.
The Gulfstream G-100 aircraft departed Bermuda late Friday night and lost contact with air traffic control just after 01:00 on Saturday morning. The aircraft carried four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals, including two pilots, two medical staff members, a patient and the patient's family escort. Flight data revealed the plane descended dramatically from approximately 7,300 metres to 3,300 metres before communications were lost, and radio transmissions indicate the pilot declared an emergency after reporting electrical difficulties.
- Six people on medical flight from Bermuda to Boston presumed dead
- US Coast Guard ended search Sunday after debris field discovered
- Aircraft dropped suddenly in altitude before losing all communications
New here? Start with this
Medical transport aircraft fly critically ill or injured patients between hospitals, allowing them to receive specialist care at distant facilities. On Friday night, a Gulfstream G-100 operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, a Canadian company, took off from Bermuda carrying two pilots, two medical staff members, a patient and the patient's family member, bound for Boston.
The flight lost contact with air traffic control just after 1am on Saturday. The pilot had reported electrical difficulties before communications were lost, and radar data showed the aircraft descending rapidly from its cruising height of about 7,300 metres.
All six people aboard are presumed dead. The incident involves both Canadian and Bermudian nationals, with the flight operated by a private medical transport company.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by BBC World as “All six passengers presumed dead after plane went missing off US coast”.