Nantucket Coast Guard searches for missing Bermuda to Boston medical jet
The Latitude Air Ambulance flight dropped thousands of feet in minutes before disappearing from radar early on Saturday.
A search is under way off the coast of Massachusetts for a medical evacuation jet carrying six people that disappeared on Saturday morning during a flight from Bermuda to Boston.
The aircraft, a twin-engine Gulfstream G100, lost contact with air traffic controllers near Nantucket. Flight-tracking data showed that the plane, carrying the tail number CGRJP, made a sudden and rapid descent just before it vanished, dropping from around 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in only three minutes.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a search-and-rescue alert at 1:20 am Eastern Time on Saturday. Federal authorities are co-ordinating with the US Coast Guard and rescue centres to find the twin-engine jet.
The search operation off Nantucket
Coast Guard air and surface crews were quickly deployed to the Atlantic south of Nantucket. The search effort includes the cutter William Sparling, alongside specialist crews from Air Station Cape Cod and Station Brant Point in Nantucket.
Data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed multiple search aircraft scouring the waters south of the island on Saturday. Emergency services radio broadcasts have also instructed civilian and commercial vessels in the area to keep a sharp lookout for any debris or sign of a downed aircraft in the water.
The flight was operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, a private operator. Clarence Togeretz, the firm's director of flight operations, confirmed that the plane was carrying out a medical evacuation mission from Bermuda. The island is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic, situated about 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina.
"We always get rather concerned when our crew doesn’t report to us in a timely manner," Togeretz said, though he added that the company has emergency response plans in place for such events and remains hopeful.
Last radio contact
Air traffic control recordings from Boston reveal that controllers tried repeatedly to reach the plane as it neared the end of its flight. At one point, a controller asked the flight crew over the radio if they were "coming in blind."
As the plane disappeared from radar screens, controllers also asked the pilot of another aircraft flying nearby to attempt radio contact with the Gulfstream, but those attempts appear to have been unsuccessful.
The identities of the six people on board have not yet been released by the authorities or the operator, and it is not yet clear what caused the sudden descent.
The jet had been scheduled to land at Boston Logan International Airport. The Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates the airport, confirmed the plane did not arrive as scheduled. A spokesperson said their thoughts were with those on board and their families.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People on board | 6 | US Coast Guard |
| Time of FAA search-and-rescue notice | 1:20 a.m. ET Saturday | Federal Aviation Administration |
| Altitude drop before signal loss | 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in three minutes | Flight-tracking data |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Latitude Air Ambulance | The operator of the missing Gulfstream G100 jet. |
| Clarence Togeretz | Director of flight operations at Latitude Air Ambulance. |
| Bermuda | The departure point of the medical evacuation flight. |
| Nantucket | The island off the coast of Massachusetts near where the plane was last tracked. |
| Boston | The intended destination of the flight. |
| US Coast Guard | Leading the search operation for the missing aircraft. |
