All Six Aboard Medical Plane Presumed Dead After Crash Off US Coast

All six people aboard a medical transport aircraft that disappeared while flying from Bermuda to Boston are presumed dead after the US Coast Guard suspended its search off the coast of Massachusetts.

The Gulfstream G100, operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance, vanished early Saturday while travelling to Boston Logan International Airport. The aircraft was carrying four Canadian crew members and two Bermudian passengers; a patient and a family member accompanying the patient.

The US Coast Guard said it searched more than 4,400 miles (7,081 kilometres) by air and sea over about 66 hours before ending the search on Sunday. A debris field discovered off the coast of Nantucket was confirmed to have come from the missing aircraft.

Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District, said suspending the search was not an easy decision and expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of those aboard.

Latitude Air Ambulance subsequently said it had reached the “heartbreaking reality” that its four crew members, the patient and the patient’s family escort were presumed to have died. The company said it would cooperate with US and Canadian authorities as recovery efforts and an investigation into the crash continue.

The aircraft had departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda shortly after midnight on Saturday. It was scheduled to fly to Boston, where it was expected to arrive early that morning. The Federal Aviation Administration alerted the Coast Guard after air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft.

Before contact was lost, the pilot reportedly indicated that the aircraft was experiencing electrical problems and declared an emergency. Air traffic control audio also captured a controller asking whether the crew was “coming in blind” and whether the pilot was declaring an emergency, but no response was heard.

Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descending sharply from about 24,000 feet before disappearing from radar. Reports indicate that the jet dropped roughly 13,000 to 14,000 feet in a matter of minutes. However, authorities have not established what caused the aircraft to crash, and investigators are expected to examine the aircraft’s final flight data and the circumstances surrounding the reported electrical problems.

The debris was located in waters about 80 to 90 feet (24 to 27 metres) deep near Nantucket. The search involved Coast Guard aircraft, helicopters, boats and cutters, along with assistance from the New York National Guard and Massachusetts authorities.

The crash has prompted cooperation between US and Canadian authorities, including the National Transportation Safety Board and Canada’s Transportation Safety Board. Bermuda authorities have also been in contact with the families of those aboard.

The Coast Guard’s decision to end the active search marks the transition from a search-and-rescue operation to recovery efforts, while investigators work to establish what happened during the aircraft’s final moments.