Search launched for six aboard missing medical plane off Nantucket
US authorities are searching off Nantucket for six people after a medical plane travelling from Bermuda to Boston went missing early on Saturday. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control, prompting a search and rescue response; the cause and the fate of those aboard have not been reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration said contact was lost shortly after 01:00 local time, and the Coast Guard said an air and water search was under way. Flight data showed the Gulfstream G-100 left Bermuda at 23:40 and was due in Boston at 01:30; its altitude fell from about 7,300 metres to 3,300 metres before communications stopped. The aircraft belonged to Latitude Air Ambulances, which operates international medical flights.
- Six people are missing after a medical plane lost contact near Nantucket.
- The flight was travelling from Bermuda to Boston.
- Search teams are looking by air and water.
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Medical aircraft, known as air ambulances, are specialist planes that transport seriously ill or injured patients across long distances when urgent care is needed. They carry both patients and medical staff who provide treatment during flight.
A medical plane operated by Latitude Air Ambulances disappeared on Saturday whilst flying from Bermuda to Boston with six people aboard. Authorities lost radio contact with the aircraft and launched a search and rescue operation, though the circumstances and condition of those on board remain unknown.
Air ambulances are an essential service in healthcare systems, enabling rapid transport of critically ill patients over long distances to specialist medical facilities. Such aircraft typically fly on scheduled routes connecting regional areas with major hospitals.
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Originally published by BBC World as “Medical plane with 6 on board missing off Massachusetts coast”.