Coast Guard finds debris from medical plane missing off Nantucket with six aboard
Version 2: The Coast Guard has now confirmed that the debris found is associated with the missing aircraft, the tail number and the nationalities of the six people aboard have been reported, and a news conference has been scheduled, while their fate remains unaccounted for.
In short
A Gulfstream G100 medical evacuation jet operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance went missing on a flight from Bermuda to Boston with six people on board, and the US Coast Guard said it found a debris field confirmed to be associated with the aircraft. The Coast Guard said crews were continuing to search for the six people aboard, who remain unaccounted for. Those on board were four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals, the Coast Guard said.
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The US Coast Guard said it found a debris field confirmed to be associated with the missing medical transport plane, and that crews are continuing to search for the six people who were aboard. The Coast Guard said search efforts would continue through the night and scheduled a news conference for Sunday morning to provide an update. Gulf News also reported that debris had been found from the plane. [ 3 , 4 ]
The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 with the tail number C-GRJP, was operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance and went missing around 1:30 am (1530 GMT) on a flight from Bermuda to Boston, company spokesman Clarence Togeretz told AFP. Emirates 24|7 described the plane as a private jet used as a medical transfer aircraft. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Togeretz said the plane was carrying two pilots, two medical staff, one patient and a family member, and that he had no other information about the rescue effort. The Coast Guard said four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals were on board. [ 2 , 3 ]
The Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard early Saturday that it had lost contact with the plane, a Coast Guard spokesperson said, according to Emirates 24|7. The Coast Guard said on X that surface vessels and aircraft were looking for the plane off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Emirates 24|7 described Nantucket as an affluent island community south of mainland Massachusetts and said weather conditions there were clear as of Saturday morning, according to Accuweather. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Latitude Air Ambulance has a fleet of 10 planes, its website says. The documents differ on how the website describes those services: Gulf News said repatriation and medical evacuation services, while Aletihad said repair and medical evacuation services, in both cases flying people back home from anywhere in the world. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The discovery of debris shifts the operation from an open search toward recovery, though the documents do not say what happened to the six people on board and give no cause for the loss of contact. The flight carried Canadian and Bermudian nationals on a Canada-based operator's aircraft bound for the United States, and the Coast Guard has scheduled a further update, so the incident touches several jurisdictions.
Key facts
- A Gulfstream G100 medical evacuation plane went missing on a flight from Bermuda to Boston with six people on board. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The US Coast Guard said it found a debris field confirmed to be associated with the missing aircraft, and that crews were continuing to search for the six people aboard. [ 3 , 4 ]
- The plane was operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance, spokesman Clarence Togeretz told AFP. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Those on board were two pilots, two medical staff, one patient and one family member, according to Togeretz. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Coast Guard said the aircraft carried four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals, and gave the tail number as C-GRJP. [ 3 ]
- The plane went missing around 1:30 am (1530 GMT), Togeretz said. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Coast Guard said surface vessels and aircraft were searching off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Coast Guard said search efforts would continue through the night and scheduled a news conference for Sunday morning. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A Gulfstream G100 medical evacuation plane with six people on board went missing on a flight from Bermuda to Boston. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The US Coast Guard searched off Nantucket, Massachusetts, using aircraft and surface vessels. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The aircraft was operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance, a company spokesman said. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Those on board were two pilots, two medical staff, one patient and one family member. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Coast Guard said it found a debris field confirmed to be associated with the missing aircraft. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- The fate of the six people on board. The Coast Guard said the debris field was confirmed to be associated with the aircraft and that crews were still searching for the six people, who remain unaccounted for; the documents report no survivors or casualties.
- The cause of the loss of contact with the aircraft. The documents say only that the Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard early Saturday that it had lost contact; no cause is given.
- The exact time the plane went missing. The company spokesman gave 1:30 am (1530 GMT), but the time zone of the 1:30 am figure is not specified and no other document gives a time.
- The outcome of the Coast Guard's scheduled news conference. The Coast Guard said it planned a news conference for Sunday morning to provide an update; the documents do not report what was said.
- How Latitude Air Ambulance's website describes its services. The documents disagree: Gulf News said the website describes repatriation and medical evacuation services, while Aletihad said repair and medical evacuation services; both describe flying people back home from anywhere in the world.
- The Coast Guard said the six people on board were still unaccounted for and that crews were continuing to search. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The aircraft went missing around this time, according to company spokesman Clarence Togeretz, who gave the time as 1:30 am (1530 GMT). [ 2 , 3 ]
- Emirates 24|7 publishes a report saying the US Coast Guard is searching for the jet near Nantucket, citing the Coast Guard and the FAA. [ 1 ]
- Gulf News reports the search and that the plane was operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance, carrying two pilots, two medical staff, one patient and a family member. [ 2 ]
- Aletihad reports that the Coast Guard found a debris field confirmed to be associated with the missing aircraft, that the six people aboard are still unaccounted for, and that a news conference is scheduled for Sunday morning. [ 3 ]
- Gulf News reports that debris has been found from the medical plane. [ 4 ]