A desperate search is underway off the Massachusetts coast after a medical evacuation plane carrying six people vanished during a flight from Bermuda to Boston.
The Gulfstream G100, operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda at 12:41 a.m. Local time on Saturday, October 3, bound for Boston Logan International Airport with an expected arrival of 1:25 a.m., according to FlightAware data. The aircraft never reached its destination.
FlightAware records show the plane made a dramatic descent in its final minutes of tracked flight, plummeting from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in just three minutes at 1:04 a.m. The final radar ping came at 1:23 a.m., two minutes before the scheduled landing time, after which all contact ceased.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Search and Rescue Alert Notice for the aircraft at approximately 1:20 a.m. Saturday, an FAA spokesperson said in a statement to The Post. “The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the aircraft,” the spokesperson added.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed it received notification from the FAA around 2 a.m. And immediately deployed multiple assets to an area south of Nantucket. “The current search area is offshore of Nantucket,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “Coast Guard, air and surface cruise are actively responding, including: planes HC-144 and MH-60 from Air Station Cape Cod; a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat from Station Brant Point; and a Fast Response cutter from ship USCGC William Sparling.”
FlightRader24 tracking data indicates two Coast Guard aircraft are currently involved in the active search operation.
An airport spokesperson confirmed the six individuals aboard comprised four crew members and two passengers. While official roles were not verified, medical evacuation flights typically operate with two pilots, a nurse and a respiratory therapist on board.
Boston Logan Airport addressed the disappearance in a public statement extending sympathy to those affected. “Our thoughts are with those on board and their loved ones as the search continues,” the airport wrote.
Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Latitude Air Ambulance, the company operating the flight, confirmed that emergency protocols had been activated. He emphasized that an emergency response plan is in place “absolutely for anything that might occur to any of our missions.”
Togeretz also struck a cautiously optimistic tone about the crew’s fate in remarks to NBC News. “We always get rather concerned when our crew doesn’t report to us in a timely manner,” he said. “But I will say that again, optimistically and positively, that doesn’t mean that the worst has happened.”
The Coast Guard has pledged to maintain its search efforts. “The Coast Guard will continue searching and provide additional information as it becomes available,” the service said.