A medical evacuation flight carrying six people from Bermuda to Boston disappeared off the coast of Massachusetts after reporting an emergency and losing radio and radar contact early Saturday, prompting a large-scale search by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The aircraft, a Canadian-registered Gulfstream G100 operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, departed from LF Wade International Airport in Bermuda at approximately 12:41 a.m. local time on Saturday. It was scheduled to land at Logan International Airport in Boston before its transmissions abruptly ceased.
Crew Struggles With Rapid Descent Over Atlantic
Air traffic control recordings posted online captured tense final moments as the crew struggled to maintain control over the Atlantic Ocean. A controller asked the pilot whether an emergency was being declared after noticing the plane dropping roughly 13,000 feet in about two minutes from a cruising altitude of approximately 24,000 feet.
Flight-tracking data shows the aircraft plunging from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in just three minutes starting around 1:04 a.m. FlightAware records indicate the final radar signal arrived at 1:23 a.m. as the jet flew roughly 80 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Nantucket Memorial Airport officials noted that the crew had transmitted a distress signal prior to the blackout.
Coast Guard Deploys Rescue Fleets South of Nantucket
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a search-and-rescue alert at 1:20 a.m. Eastern Time. The U.S. Coast Guard deployed multiple ships and aircraft to comb the waters south of Nantucket following the disappearance.
Rescuers subsequently recovered debris linked to the missing aircraft from the ocean. Logan International Airport emergency crews had been placed on standby to prepare for the arrival, but the jet never reached the Massachusetts coast.
Six People Listed on the Flight Manifest
A total of six individuals were on board the medical transport flight. The manifest included two pilots, two medical personnel, a patient, and one family member accompanying the patient.
Canada’s foreign ministry confirmed that Canadian citizens were among those traveling on the aircraft. Canadian authorities are coordinating closely with U.S. officials on the ongoing rescue and recovery operation while embassy personnel remain in touch with local agencies to provide assistance.
The operator, Latitude Air Ambulance, specializes in providing medical transport and patient repatriation services globally for insurance companies, governments, and organizations. The company’s fleet currently includes ten aircraft, among them four Gulfstream G100s. The Canadian government is closely monitoring the situation as international and local bodies work together in the maritime search.