Debris from missing medical plane found, US coastguard says
Six people were on board the Canadian-registered air ambulance jet travelling from Bermuda to Boston.
The United States coastguard has found debris from an air ambulance off the shore of Massachusetts’s Nantucket Island.
The US Federal Aviation Administration told the coastguard early on Saturday that it had lost contact with a Gulfstream jet travelling from Bermuda to Boston.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Canada to fast track oil pipeline meant to diversify economy away from US
- list 2 of 3Death toll from Hurricane Melissa climbs to 49, with many still missing
- list 3 of 3Schools and airport shut as Hurricane Imelda moves over Bermuda
Several hours later, the coastguard said in a statement that it “located a debris field that has been confirmed to be associated with the missing aircraft”.
The coastguard said that one of its cutters would keep searching the water overnight and into Sunday for six people who were on board.
The Canadian-registered air ambulance jet had four crew members and two passengers on board when it departed Bermuda’s LF Wade International airport overnight for the flight to Massachusetts, according to a statement from the Bermuda airport’s operator, Skyport.
Canada’s Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon said in a social media post that four Canadians were on the plane.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are working with the relevant authorities as search and rescue efforts continue,” MacKinnon wrote.
The other two people on board were Bermudian nationals, the coastguard said.
The aircraft, registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, departed Bermuda at 12:41am local time (03:41 GMT), according to data from flight tracking website FlightAware.
The plane was flying at 24,000 feet (7,300 metres) for much of the flight before descending 13,000ft (3,960 metres) in about two minutes shortly before flight controllers lost contact, data showed.
Last communication
Air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net offered a glimpse of the flight’s final communications before it went missing.
“Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” a controller can be heard asking the pilot.
The pilot’s transmission could not be heard in the recording. The controller later confirmed the pilot was declaring an emergency just before losing contact with the plane.
The Bermuda government is in contact with US authorities and families of the passengers, Bermuda Premier David Burt wrote in a statement posted on Instagram.
“We are praying that all six people will be found safe,” he wrote.
Latitude Air Ambulance is based in Ontario, Canada, and provides medical evacuation services. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
