Search Shifts to Ocean Floor Recovery After Active Rescue Concludes
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended active surface search-and-rescue operations for a medical transport jet that vanished off the coast of Massachusetts, transitioning efforts to underwater sonar and recovery scanning near Nantucket. According to federal officials and reporting from multiple outlets, the active rescue phase ended after crews covered more than 4,400 square miles over roughly 66 hours without locating survivors.
The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, was carrying six people—four Canadian crew members, a patient from Bermuda, and a medical escort—when it disappeared from radar. The Federal Aviation Administration alerted the Coast Guard around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, after contact was lost shortly after the plane departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda en route to Boston Logan International Airport.
Debris Field Identified Off Nantucket
Search teams located a debris field off the Nantucket coast by Saturday evening, and subsequent analysis confirmed the wreckage belonged to the missing medical flight. With the suspension of surface operations, the focus has shifted toward underwater investigation to map the debris field and recover the victims.
Latitude Air Ambulance released statements acknowledging that the six individuals on board are presumed dead following the conclusion of the active rescue phase. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the sudden loss of communication and the subsequent crash in the Atlantic Ocean.
Background on Flight and Operations
Medical transport flights of this nature routinely move patients between island territories and mainland medical centers for specialized care. Federal aviation authorities and transportation safety investigators are examining flight data records and weather conditions from the night of the incident to determine what caused the Gulfstream G100 to go down off the New England coast.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!