Search crews located a confirmed debris field off the coast of Nantucket after a Canadian-registered medical evacuation jet carrying four crew members and two passengers vanished from radar on Saturday morning while traveling from Bermuda to Boston Logan International Airport.
Flight data captured by FlightAware shows the aircraft cruising at roughly 24,000 feet before plummeting about 13,000 feet in roughly two minutes shortly after 1 a.m. EDT on Saturday. The Gulfstream G100 jet, registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, departed from Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport late Friday night.
The aircraft carried the call sign “Heartbeat 104” during its journey, operating as a medical transport mission dedicated to bringing patients home from around the world when they require specialized care. Skyport, the operator of Bermuda’s airport, confirmed that the Canadian-registered air ambulance departed L.F.
Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, the Northeast district commander for the U.S. Coast Guard, stated at a press briefing that their primary priority was to locate the six personnel and the aircraft. He noted that the search covered about 1,644 square miles by the time the debris was located, expanding eventually to more than 2,800 square miles over the course of 53 hours. Coast Guard officials deployed a multi-agency search involving planes, helicopters, and cutters across the Atlantic.
Controllers Struggle to Communicate as Jet Loses Altitude
Air traffic control recordings preserved by LiveATC.net document the deteriorating communication between ground controllers and the flight deck as the twin-engine jet lost altitude south of Nantucket. Air traffic controllers struggled to communicate with the jet as it plunged toward the Atlantic Ocean.
A controller asked the pilot to confirm whether he had stated they were flying blind.
“You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?”
Air traffic controller, via BBC
The controller subsequently asked if the crew was declaring an emergency, noting that the transmission was coming in a little weak.
Around the same time, an area fire dispatcher instructed emergency personnel at Boston Logan International Airport just after 1 a.m. EDT to prepare to meet a plane with an electrical issue, before later reporting that the aircraft had lost radio and radar contact while approaching the area south of Nantucket.
Emergency crews staged vehicles on the runway as the scheduled landing window approached. At 1:20 a.m. EDT, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a search-and-rescue alert notice after radar contact vanished completely about 80 miles south of Nantucket.
Crews and Officials Respond to the Missing Flight
Clarence Togeretz, the director of flight operations at Latitude Air Ambulance based in Ontario, Canada, stated that the flight crew consisted of two pilots and two medical staff members, all of whom are Canadian citizens. Togeretz explained to NBC News that the company always gets concerned when a crew does not report in a timely manner, though he maintained an optimistic and positive perspective that the worst had not necessarily happened.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that four of the individuals on board were Canadian nationals and two were Bermudian nationals. The crew had flown to Bermuda to collect a patient and their relative—specifically identified by the Bermuda Gazette as a patient and their son—who are not Canadian nationals.
Canadian Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon posted that his nation was closely monitoring the situation and working with relevant authorities as search and rescue efforts continued.
“We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing effort.”
David Burt, Bermuda Premier
Recovery Vessels Find Debris Field Southeast of Boston
Search efforts mobilized swiftly across federal and local jurisdictions.
By Saturday evening, recovery vessels confirmed the discovery of a physical debris field roughly 150 kilometres southeast of Boston.
Rear Admiral Lake noted during his Sunday briefing that the U.S. Navy was involved as part of salvage operations. The FAA coordinated with the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the aircraft, while the Transportation Safety Board of Canada told Global News in an email that it is gathering information and assessing the occurrence. Federal transportation authorities in both nations are reviewing the occurrence.