The U.S. Coast Guard launched an active search and rescue operation off the coast of Nantucket, Mass., after a Canadian air ambulance carrying six people vanished from radar early Saturday morning. The Gulfstream G100 medical transport jet was traveling from Bermuda to Boston when it lost contact with flight controllers, prompting an emergency response.
Federal aviation authorities issued a search and rescue alert notice for the aircraft at approximately 1:20 a.m. local time, as detailed by USA Today. Wade International Airport in Bermuda, bound for Boston Logan International Airport, traversing a maritime route where the island sits roughly 700 miles south of Nantucket.
Emergency Calls and Radar Loss off Nantucket
Flight tracking data indicates that the jet underwent a rapid descent, dropping at least 9,000 feet over the span of two minutes before leveling off briefly prior to vanishing from tracking equipment. According to authorities at Nantucket Memorial Airport, the pilot declared an emergency during the flight’s final moments.
Audio recordings captured on Broadcastify and reviewed by The Boston Globe detail a tense exchange between air traffic controllers and the cockpit, where an air traffic controller asked the pilot, “You’re coming in blind?” A fire rescue dispatcher subsequently alerted local emergency crews to ready themselves for an arrival just 15 minutes away, noting that the aircraft was suffering from electrical issues and had lost both radio and radar capabilities.
Surface and air crews continue to scour the area.
Latitude Air Ambulance Operations
Company documentation indicates the firm has conducted thousands of patient transfer missions since 2009.
The operator’s fleet includes four long-range Gulfstream G100 jets capable of extended flights without refueling. Standard medical crew configurations on these flights consist of two pilots alongside a specialized medical team, which typically features a registered nurse, a registered respiratory therapist, and occasionally a physician, operating alongside full ICU medical equipment and stretchers.
Ongoing Maritime Search Operations
As the search continues over the Atlantic waters south of Nantucket, Coast Guard cutters and aviation units maintain their sweep of the search grid. Federal and local agencies have not yet recovered the aircraft or released further details regarding the identities of the six individuals on board as the investigation into the sudden loss of communication continues.
