The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the waters off Nantucket, Mass., for a Hamilton, Ont.-based air ambulance jet that lost contact early Saturday with six people on board, including four Canadians.
The Gulfstream G100, operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, left L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda at 12:41 a.m. on Oct. 3 bound for Boston Logan International Airport, CP24 reported. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lost radio contact with the aircraft around 2 a.m., according to the same report. Latitude said it lost contact with the plane at about 1:30 a.m. as it approached Boston, as reported by CBC News and Global News.
The four Canadians aboard are the crew: two pilots and two medical staff. The other two people are Bermuda nationals, a patient and a family member who was travelling with them, according to the reports. The jet had flown from Hamilton to Bermuda on Friday evening before starting the return leg.
CP24 reported that the aircraft declared an emergency before it disappeared, and that air traffic control audio captured the pilot saying the crew was “coming in blind.” The cause of the emergency has not been made public.
The Coast Guard said its search includes aircraft and vessels. According to CP24, the response involves two aircraft, a helicopter, a search and rescue lifeboat and a cutter, with crews searching in the air and on the water.
Latitude Air Ambulance operations manager Clarence Togeretz said the company is “praying for a safe outcome,” CP24 reported. Togeretz said it is the first time the company has lost contact with one of its aircraft, according to Global News.
Canada’s Transportation Minister Steven MacKinnon said federal authorities are “closely monitoring” the situation, according to CP24. Bermuda Premier David Burt said in a statement the island is “praying that all six people will be found safe.”
Air ambulance flights like this one are commonly used to move patients between medical facilities that are far apart, and Bermuda, a small island territory about 1,000 kilometres off the U.S. east coast, regularly relies on such flights for patients who need care it cannot provide locally. Boston is a major destination for specialized treatment. The Nantucket area sits south of Cape Cod, where the sea is open Atlantic water, which can complicate searches.
No wreckage or survivors had been reported at the time of publication, and the Coast Guard had not released further details on search conditions. The identities of the patient and family member have not been released by officials.
The situation is developing, and details may change as the Coast Guard, the FAA and the operator release more information. Investigators typically examine flight data, air traffic control recordings and maintenance records after an incident of this kind, though no investigation has been announced publicly.
Via CP24, CBC News, Global News and CTV News: original report from CP24.
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