The Coast Guard finds debris off the coast of Nantucket from the air ambulance that went missing with six people on board while en route to Boston
On board were two pilots, two medical personnel, a patient and the patient's companion. According to the Coast Guard, four of them are Canadian and two are from Bermuda.
A U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter
U.S. Coast Guard teams located off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, a field of debris that was confirmed to be part of the air ambulance that went missing early Saturday morning. There is still no official information on the whereabouts of the six people on board, and the search for possible survivors continues.
According to a report by Fox News, the Gulfstream G100 was on a medical evacuation flight from Bermuda to Boston Logan International Airport when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lost contact with the aircraft. It had taken off at 11:41 p.m. on Friday, Eastern Time, and was scheduled to land around 1:30 a.m. Data from FlightAware cited by that media outlet indicates that the plane dropped from 24,000 to 11,000 feet in just three minutes, around 1 a.m..
On board were two pilots, two medical personnel, a patient, and the patient's companion. According to the Coast Guard, four of them are Canadian and two are from Bermuda. The plane, registered in Canada, belongs to Latitude Air Ambulance, which transports patients to their home countries when they need specialized care.
Audio recordings from Boston air traffic control obtained by NBC News suggest controllers asked the aircraft if it was flying "coming in blind." They then asked another plane to try to establish contact with the jet, though it is unclear whether it succeeded. Authorities have not reported the cause of the emergency, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it is still gathering information.
For the search, the Coast Guard deployed an HC-130 Hercules aircraft, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, a 47-foot rescue boat, and the cutter William Sparling, which will remain in the area throughout the night. The agency will hold a press conference this Sunday morning.
Bermuda Premier David Burt expressed his support for the families. "My thoughts are with the six people aboard the missing air ambulance traveling from Bermuda to Boston, and their families," he said in a statement. "We are praying that everyone will be found safe."
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