Air ambulance carrying six vanishes near Nantucket, sparking search
Developed over time first seen 2 days ago
A Gulfstream air ambulance operated by Canadian company Latitude Air Ambulance disappeared whilst flying from Bermuda to Boston on Saturday morning, with six people aboard. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control around 1.30am after experiencing a rapid descent, and was presumed to have crashed into the Atlantic near Nantucket. The incident prompted a major search and rescue operation, with four of the six people on board confirmed to be Canadian citizens.
Air traffic control audio revealed communication difficulties in the aircraft's final moments, with controllers struggling to confirm whether the pilots had declared an emergency. Flight data indicated the plane descended sharply from approximately 25,000 feet to around 11,000 feet shortly after 1am, with sources suggesting it dropped a further 7,500 feet before impact. The aircraft was carrying four crew members and two passengers; the US Coast Guard launched its search operation near Nantucket around 6am after the plane failed to arrive as scheduled.
- Air ambulance with six aboard vanished flying Bermuda to Boston
- Plane descended rapidly before losing contact near Nantucket early Saturday
- Four of six aboard confirmed Canadian citizens
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Medical evacuation flights, also known as air ambulances, are aircraft specifically equipped and staffed to transport critically ill or injured patients to major hospitals for treatment. They operate when ground transport would take too long or when patients need advanced medical care available only at certain specialist centres.
When an aircraft loses radio contact with air traffic control whilst flying over the ocean, search and rescue operations are launched immediately to locate the plane. The US Coast Guard handles maritime search and rescue missions, whilst aviation authorities investigate the circumstances of the loss of contact. Such operations require rapid coordination between multiple agencies, particularly when the aircraft is over open water where locating it can be challenging.
Full account
A medical evacuation aircraft carrying six people disappeared over the Atlantic while travelling from Bermuda to Boston, prompting a search by the US Coast Guard near Nantucket, Massachusetts. The Federal Aviation Administration said it lost contact with the Gulfstream G-100 early on Saturday and issued a search-and-rescue notice shortly after 1am local time.
The aircraft had left Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport at about 11.40pm and was expected at Boston Logan International Airport around 1.30am, according to flight tracking information cited in reports. The Coast Guard said the search involved aircraft and boats, with crews responding from several locations in the region.
FlightAware data indicated a sharp loss of altitude before the aircraft’s signal stopped. One report described a descent from about 24,000ft to 11,000ft; another gave approximate figures of 25,000ft and 11,000ft. These tracking details do not establish what happened to the aircraft.
Latitude Air Ambulance’s director of flight operations said the crew had been carrying out a medical evacuation in Bermuda. The company provides international patient transport. Reports said there were four crew members and two passengers aboard; the search was continuing near Nantucket, and the available accounts did not confirm the aircraft’s fate.
Where outlets differ
The BBC report gives the departure time as 11.40pm and the planned Boston arrival as 1.30am, while the other report focuses on the Coast Guard search being under way by around 6am and says the last tracking signal came shortly before the expected landing.
The reported altitude change varies slightly: one account gives a fall from around 24,000ft, another from roughly 25,000ft. The second report also cites unnamed sources suggesting the aircraft dropped about 7,500ft before reaching the water; that claim is not included in the BBC account.
The BBC centres its report on the FAA notice, flight data and search location. The other report adds comments from Latitude’s flight operations director, the reported number of passengers and crew, and background on the company’s fleet.