Authorities Release Identities as Investigation Shifts to Recovery
Authorities have officially identified the six individuals aboard a medical transport jet that vanished over the Atlantic Ocean near Nantucket late last week, as federal agencies and operators confirm that all occupants are presumed dead. The U.S. Coast Guard released the roster following the conclusion of an intensive 66-hour search-and-rescue operation that spanned more than 4,400 square miles of open water.
The victims include two Bermudian passengers—Marilyn Lavonne Bean, 66, and her son, Sergio Wayne Lottimore, 41—who were traveling to Boston for medical care. The four-person flight crew consisted of Canadian nationals employed by Ontario-based Latitude Air Ambulance: Captain Philip Gregory Childerhose, First Officer Thomas Henry Farquhar, flight nurse Sarah Jane Paton, and respiratory therapist Jolene Beth Weir.
Final Moments and Search Operations
The aircraft involved was a Canada-registered Gulfstream G100 operating as Heartbeat 104 Medevac. According to flight-tracking data and air traffic control recordings, the flight departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda late Friday bound for Boston Logan International Airport.
As the aircraft neared the Massachusetts coast early Saturday, the flight crew reported electrical difficulties, with audio recordings indicating controllers questioning whether the flight was "coming in blind". The twin-engine jet then experienced a rapid descent from a cruising altitude of roughly 24,000 feet before radar contact was lost south of Nantucket.
Search teams deployed multiple aircraft, cutters, and motor lifeboats to the area, eventually locating an 80-to-90-foot debris field confirmed to belong to the missing aircraft. After scouring approximately 4,445 square miles without locating survivors, the Coast Guard suspended the active search and transitioned the mission to a recovery operation.
Operator and Official Responses
Peter Byl, president of Latitude Air Ambulance, issued a statement acknowledging the transition from rescue to recovery, expressing profound grief on behalf of the company. “This is an unimaginable loss for our Latitude family and for everyone who loved the six people aboard Heartbeat 104,” Byl stated, noting that the crew members were carrying out their mission of mercy when the tragedy occurred.
Bermuda Premier David Burt also extended condolences on behalf of the government, noting that the island's initial hopes had given way to sorrow for the affected families. Canadian and U.S. aviation authorities, including the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the National Transportation Safety Board, are coordinating to investigate the precise cause of the electrical failure and subsequent crash.
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