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Aircraft Debris Found Off Nantucket After Medical Transport Plane Goes Missing
US authorities have located debris believed to belong to a medical transport aircraft that went missing after departing Bermuda for Boston with six people on board.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told the BBC that contact with the Gulfstream G-100 was lost shortly after 01:00 local time on Saturday, while the aircraft was travelling toward Boston, Massachusetts.
The US Coast Guard said search operations for possible survivors were continuing off the coast of Nantucket, an island in Massachusetts. Ships, helicopters and aircraft were involved in the search operation, which continued overnight.
Authorities have informed the families of everyone aboard the aircraft. The six people included four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals.
According to the US Coast Guard, search teams located an area of aircraft debris off the Nantucket coast and confirmed that it was from the missing plane.
Flight tracking data from FlightAware showed that the aircraft departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda at approximately 23:40 local time. It had been scheduled to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport at around 01:30 EDT (05:30 GMT).
The aircraft's registration information released by the Coast Guard indicates that it was operated by Latitude Air Ambulances, a company that provides international medical transportation for patients returning to their home countries.
Clarence Togeretz, the company's director of flight operations, told CBC News that two pilots and two medical personnel were among those aboard, with the four crew members being Canadian nationals.
Togeretz said the crew had travelled to Bermuda to collect a patient and the patient's relative, who were not Canadian nationals.
FlightAware data also indicated that the aircraft experienced a significant loss of altitude before communications were lost. Its recorded altitude fell from approximately 7,300 metres (24,000 feet) to about 3,300 metres (11,000 feet).
Radio communications between the aircraft and air traffic control reportedly became difficult before contact was lost. The Boston Globe, citing transmissions made available through LiveATC.net, reported that the pilot was asked whether an emergency was being declared.
The air traffic controller later confirmed that the pilot had declared an emergency.
An area fire dispatcher also instructed emergency crews shortly after 01:00 EDT to prepare for an aircraft reportedly experiencing an electrical problem. The dispatcher subsequently indicated that the aircraft had lost both radio and radar contact.
The US Coast Guard said it planned to provide a further update on the search operation on Sunday morning local time.
Source: BBC / Associated reports
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