Coast Guard finds debris off Nantucket from missing medical jet; six unaccounted for
In short
A Canadian-registered Gulfstream G100 air ambulance carrying six people went missing on a flight from Bermuda to Boston, and the US Coast Guard says it has found debris in the sea near Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The search for the four crew members and two passengers is continuing, and no information on survivors has been given. Flight-tracking data cited by China News Service showed the aircraft descended from about 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet before contact was lost.
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The US Coast Guard said it has found debris in the sea near Nantucket Island, south of Massachusetts, from an aircraft that went missing on a flight from Bermuda to Boston, and that the search for the six people on board continues. The debris find was reported by CLS, Yicai and Jiemian. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The aircraft was a Gulfstream G100 business jet used as an air ambulance and registered in Canada, carrying four crew members and two passengers, according to Coast Guard and US Federal Aviation Administration accounts cited by China News Service, CLS and Jiemian. CLS and Jiemian reported that the two passengers had been due to travel to Boston for medical treatment, and that the flight was bound for Boston Logan International Airport. A Massachusetts Port Authority spokesperson confirmed the aircraft did not arrive at Logan as planned, the two outlets reported. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Reports of the departure time differ. FlightAware data cited by China News Service showed the aircraft took off at about 23:40 on October 2, described as US Eastern time; CLS and Jiemian said the air ambulance left Bermuda at 00:41 on October 3. The documents do not state whether those times are expressed in different time zones. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
China News Service, citing CBS and AP, reported that the FAA notified the Coast Guard of the loss of contact at about 01:00 on October 3, that the aircraft had been flying for about one hour and 45 minutes, and that FlightAware data showed it descended rapidly from about 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet before contact was lost. Yicai reported that the Coast Guard dispatched air and sea search assets near Nantucket Island, and that a weather website showed clear conditions at Nantucket that morning. [ 1 , 2 ]
Canada's transport minister said four of those on board were Canadians, China News Service reported. The Bermuda government said it had contacted the families of the people on board, according to CLS and Jiemian. No document gives a cause for the loss of contact or for the descent. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The missing aircraft was an air ambulance with two passengers travelling to Boston for medical treatment, and the search involves US, Canadian and Bermudian authorities. How the search ends will shape understanding of an event that the documents so far describe only through official statements and flight-tracking data. No cause for the loss of contact has been given.
Key facts
- A Gulfstream G100 air ambulance carrying six people went missing on a flight from Bermuda to Boston. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Four crew members and two passengers were on board, and the two passengers had been due to travel to Boston for medical treatment. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The US Coast Guard said it found debris in the sea near Nantucket Island, south of Massachusetts, and that the search for the six people continues. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Canada's transport minister said four of those on board were Canadians, according to China News Service. [ 2 ]
- FlightAware data cited by China News Service showed the aircraft flew for about one hour and 45 minutes and dropped from about 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet before contact was lost. [ 2 ]
- A Massachusetts Port Authority spokesperson confirmed the aircraft did not arrive at Boston Logan International Airport as planned. [ 3 , 5 ]
- The Bermuda government said it has contacted the families of the people on board. [ 3 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The US Coast Guard found debris in the sea near Nantucket Island and said the search for the six people on board is continuing. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The aircraft was a Canadian-registered Gulfstream G100 air ambulance flying from Bermuda to Boston with four crew members and two passengers. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The aircraft did not arrive at Boston Logan International Airport as scheduled, a Massachusetts Port Authority spokesperson confirmed. [ 3 , 5 ]
- The Bermuda government said it has contacted the families of those on board. [ 3 , 5 ]
- The US Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard that contact with the aircraft had been lost, according to Coast Guard statements cited by Yicai and China News Service. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the reported departure times refer to the same time zone. China News Service, citing FlightAware, gives a take-off at about 23:40 on October 2 US Eastern time, while CLS and Jiemian say the plane left Bermuda at 00:41 on October 3; the documents do not explain the difference.
- The fate of the six people on board. The Coast Guard said the search is continuing and no document gives any information on survivors.
- The cause of the loss of contact and of the aircraft's descent from about 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet. The altitude data appears only in China News Service, citing FlightAware, and no document states a cause.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The aircraft took off, according to FlightAware data cited by China News Service (described as US Eastern time, October 2). [ 2 ]
- The air ambulance departed Bermuda for Boston, according to CLS and Jiemian (October 3). [ 3 , 5 ]
- The US Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard that contact with the aircraft had been lost, per CBS cited by China News Service. [ 2 ]
- China News Service reports the disappearance, the altitude drop and the presence of four Canadians on board (October 4). [ 2 ]
- CLS reports the Coast Guard has confirmed finding debris near Nantucket and that the search for the six people continues. [ 3 ]
- Jiemian reports the debris find and that the two passengers had been travelling to Boston for medical treatment. [ 5 ]