US Coast Guard Discovers Debris Field From Missing Air Ambulance Off Nantucket
According to CTV News, united States search and rescue crews have located a debris field off the coast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, confirmed to be associated with an air ambulance jet that vanished over the Atlantic Ocean. The Canadian-registered Gulfstream aircraft was carrying six people when it disappeared from radar while traveling from Bermuda to Boston.
U.S. Coast Guard responding assets include an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew, an HC-130 Hercules crew, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, a 47-foot MLB crew, and FRC William Sparling.
The US Federal Aviation Administration alerted the Coast Guard early Saturday after losing contact with the flight. According to aviation tracking data from FlightAware, the twin-engine aircraft departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda shortly before midnight. The plane maintained an altitude of 24,000 feet before plunging 13,000 feet in approximately two minutes just before communications ceased.
Operations manager Clarence Togeretz noted that this incident represents the first time Latitude Air Ambulance has lost contact with one of its aircraft in company history.
Passenger Manifest and Search Operations
According to CTV News, authorities confirmed that the aircraft was operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, an Ontario-based medical evacuation provider. The flight manifest included four Canadian nationals, comprising two flight crew members and two medical personnel, alongside two Bermudian nationals, consisting of a patient and an accompanying relative.
Ontario air ambulance operator Ornge issued a statement of solidarity expressing hope that colleagues at Latitude Air Ambulance and all passengers are found safely.
Canada's Minister of Transport, Steven MacKinnon, issued a statement confirming that four Canadians were on board and noting that federal authorities were closely monitoring the situation. Bermuda Premier David Burt expressed hope for the safe recovery of all six individuals, stating that the Bermuda government remained in direct contact with United States search teams and affected families.
Final Communications and Weather Context
Air traffic control audio recordings obtained via LiveATC.net provided details of the flight's final moments. A controller can be heard asking the pilot to confirm whether they were "coming in blind" and inquiring about an emergency declaration. According to CTV News, while the pilot's responses were largely inaudible due to signal weakness, air traffic controllers subsequently confirmed that an emergency had been declared.
Local fire dispatchers in Massachusetts had been alerted shortly after 01:00 EDT to prepare for an incoming aircraft experiencing electrical difficulties and a subsequent loss of radio and radar signals. Coast Guard cutters, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft maintained active search operations throughout the night and into Sunday, focusing on locating survivors in the waters off Nantucket.