The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday evening suspended its search for a medical transport jet that disappeared off Nantucket, Massachusetts, early Saturday with six people aboard, after crews found debris from the aircraft in the ocean, the New York Post and other outlets reported.
The Gulfstream G100 twinjet was flying from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda to Boston Logan International Airport when it lost contact with the Federal Aviation Administration around 1:25 a.m. Saturday, shortly before its scheduled landing. The plane’s owner, Latitude Air Ambulance, and the Coast Guard said those on board were four Canadians, two pilots and two medics, along with a Bermudian patient and a relative.
Flight-tracking data from FlightAware showed the jet dropping from about 24,000 feet to roughly 11,000 feet in about three minutes before it disappeared, according to the Post. Audio of the plane’s final exchanges with air traffic controllers appears to include a possible emergency call before contact was lost.
“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” said Rear Adm. Matthew Lake, commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District. “We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and our gratitude for our partner agencies who helped support search efforts.”
Crews identified debris from the plane on Saturday night, and the search was called off Sunday evening, more than 40 hours after the jet lost contact. Officials said the families have been notified. The cause of the crash will be investigated; the National Transportation Safety Board typically leads probes of civil aviation accidents in U.S. waters.
Photo: U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. j.g. Jared Carbajal (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons). File photo.