Chilling air traffic audio has surfaced from the final moments before a medical plane bound for Boston vanished off the Massachusetts coast with six people aboard.
The Gulfstream G100, operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, departed Bermuda at 12:41 a.m. Saturday and plunged more than 10,000 feet before losing all contact with the Federal Aviation Administration roughly 40 minutes later. Four Canadians — two pilots and two medical personnel — were onboard alongside two Bermuda natives, a patient and their relative, the company told The Canadian Press.
The pilot declared an emergency at 12:46 a.m., according to radio transmission audio obtained by LiveATC.net. The exchange grew increasingly strained as the controller struggled to make sense of the situation.
“You’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” the air traffic controller asked, seemingly unable to understand the pilot’s transmission.
“You’re coming in a little weak so I didn’t hear what your response was, if you were declaring an emergency or not,” the controller continued, before confirming that an emergency had indeed been declared. The controller later asked the pilot of a separate aircraft whether the medical plane appeared on its anti-collision system; it did not.
At 1:12 a.m., a Massport Fire Rescue dispatcher warned emergency crews at Logan International Airport to prepare for a plane with an “electrical issue” to land in approximately 15 minutes, according to audio captured by Broadcastify and reviewed by The Boston Globe.
“The aircraft has lost radio and radar,” the dispatcher said.
The plane never arrived. Fire crews stood down at 1:36 a.m.
The FAA issued a Search and Rescue Alert notice at around 1:20 a.m., a spokesperson said. The US Coast Guard has established a search area 13 nautical miles off Nantucket, extending 30 nautical miles wide and 20 nautical miles long. The military branch will identify victims or missing people only after 24 hours have passed since next of kin notification.
“The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the US Coast Guard to locate the aircraft,” the agency said.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey addressed the disappearance at a rally in Dorchester, pledging state resources to aid the Coast Guard effort. David Burt, premier of Bermuda, offered condolences and promised assistance in the search.
“My thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time,” he said in a statement. “We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing efforts.”
Debris from the vanished aircraft has been located by Coast Guard crews amid the ongoing search operation.