Searchers have reportedly found a “debris field” off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, from an air ambulance that was carrying six people when it vanished over the Atlantic, per Courier News. The Gulfstream G100 jet went missing on Saturday, October 3, during a flight from Bermuda to Boston, according to the US Coast Guard.
Aboard the flight were four Canadians and two Bermudian nationals. The Coast Guard added that their next of kin were notified about the disappearance and the search, adding that one of its cutters would keep searching the water overnight and into Sunday, October 4.
Air and surface crews began searching an area off the coast of Nantucket after it was informed at 2 am that the jet had lost contact with air traffic controllers, NBC News reported. Clarence Togeretz, the director of flight operations at Latitude Air Ambulance, which operates the plane, confirmed that the plane was carrying out a medical evacuation in Bermuda.
Deep Dive
What caused the Gulfstream G100 to lose contact during its flight from Bermuda to Boston?
What was the nature of the flight involving the Gulfstream G100 jet?
How is the US Coast Guard conducting the search for the missing Gulfstream G100?
Latitude Air Ambulance operates specially equipped private planes to transport and treat people who are injured or sick. It is known for serving private clients, patients who require advanced care and insured patients who become critically ill or injured while abroad, the medical transportation company’s website says.
{{/usCountry}}Latitude Air Ambulance operates specially equipped private planes to transport and treat people who are injured or sick. It is known for serving private clients, patients who require advanced care and insured patients who become critically ill or injured while abroad, the medical transportation company’s website says.
{{/usCountry}}The Federal Aviation Administration revealed that it issued a search-and-rescue notice for the jet at 1:20 am ET Saturday.
What Air traffic control tower audio revealed
NBC News obtained air traffic control tower audio from Boston, which appears to indicate that controllers asked the aircraft if it was “coming in blind.” Later, controllers ask another plane to “attempt contact” with the jet. Whether or not that attempt was successful remains unclear.
Emergency services audio obtained by the outlet asked vessels to keep a “sharp lookout” for any signs of a “possible aircraft in the water.” Data from Flightradar24 showed several aircraft searching south of the island.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Boston Logan International Airport, said, “Our thoughts are with those on board and their loved ones as the search continues.”
In a statement, Bermuda Premier David Burt said that his “thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time.”