The U.S. Coast Guard has launched an extensive search operation south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, for a Canadian air ambulance that vanished early Saturday while en route from Bermuda to Boston. The Gulfstream G100 aircraft is believed to have been transporting six individuals at the time it lost contact with air traffic controllers.
According to the Coast Guard, the response includes two search-and-rescue aircraft, a helicopter, and a motor lifeboat. Flight data indicates the jet descended at least 9,000 feet over a two-minute period before leveling off for several additional minutes, after which it disappeared from radar screens.
Audio obtained by The Boston Globe from Broadcastify reveals that the pilot declared an emergency. During communications with Nantucket Memorial Airport, air traffic control asked the pilot, “You’re coming in blind?” A fire rescue dispatcher had previously warned emergency crews to prepare for the plane’s arrival, citing reports that the aircraft was 15 minutes away and experiencing electrical failures, as well as losses in radio and radar functionality.
The aircraft is operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, an Ontario-based company. The firm states it has conducted thousands of missions since 2009 to return patients and their loved ones home. Its website highlights a “flawless safety record” and notes that its medical jets are crewed by two pilots and a medical team, equipped with stretchers and full intensive care unit supplies.
Hope the Coast Guard finds them soon. The ocean is unforgiving, but they are experts.
I’m not a pilot, but losing radio and radar simultaneously seems unlikely. What happened out there?
A flawless safety record sounds suspicious now. Why did it descend 9,000 feet so abruptly?
Praying for everyone on board. This is terrifying news, especially with that emergency declaration.