Canada to lead probe into medical plane crash off Nantucket; six feared dead
In short
Canada's Transportation Safety Board said on October 5 it will lead the investigation into the October 3 crash of a medical evacuation aircraft off Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Six people were on board — four Canadian crew members, a patient and an escort — and the operator says all are presumed dead. The crew had reported an electrical failure before the plane descended rapidly and lost contact with air traffic control.
Read the full story 1 min read
Canada's Transportation Safety Board said on October 5 that it will lead the investigation into the crash of a medical evacuation aircraft off the coast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, on October 3. Six people are feared or presumed dead, according to Chinese outlets reporting the board's announcement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The board said in a statement that the aircraft was a Gulfstream G100 operated by a company named 纬度医疗航空 (Latitude Medical Aviation), which is based in Ontario, Canada. The company had said earlier that the six people on board — four Canadian crew members, one patient and one accompanying escort — were all presumed dead after the crash, the board's statement said. [ 3 ]
According to the statement, the flight departed from Bermuda and, as it approached the Boston area, the crew reported an electrical failure. The aircraft then descended rapidly and lost contact with air traffic control south of Nantucket. US flight-tracking data showed the plane descended about 13,000 feet (roughly 3,962 metres) in about two minutes shortly before contact was lost, and the US Coast Guard said debris found near the Nantucket coast was confirmed to be from the missing aircraft. [ 3 ]
Under international agreements, the investigation is led by the aircraft's country of registration — Canada — with US agencies providing assistance, the statement said. The Transportation Safety Board said it will dispatch investigators in the coming days and will assist in searching for and salvaging the aircraft. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The case is handled under international rules that give the country where the aircraft is registered the lead role, with United States agencies assisting, so Canadian investigators will direct the search, recovery and cause analysis. The documents give no indication of what caused the reported electrical failure, leaving the central question open.
Key facts
- Canada's Transportation Safety Board said on October 5 that it will lead the investigation into a medical evacuation aircraft crash near Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Six people were on board — four Canadian crew members, one patient and one accompanying escort — and were presumed dead after the crash, according to the operator and the board. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The aircraft was a Gulfstream G100 operated by Latitude Medical Aviation, based in Ontario, Canada, the board said. [ 3 ]
- The flight left Bermuda and, while approaching the Boston area, the crew reported an electrical failure, after which the plane descended rapidly and lost contact with air traffic control south of Nantucket. [ 3 ]
- US flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descended about 13,000 feet (roughly 3,962 metres) in about two minutes shortly before contact was lost, and the US Coast Guard said debris found near the Nantucket coast was confirmed to be from the aircraft. [ 3 ]
- Under international agreements the investigation is led by the country of registration, Canada, with US agencies assisting, and the board said it will send investigators in the coming days to help search for and salvage the aircraft. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The cause of the crash has not been established; the documents describe only a crew report of an electrical failure before the rapid descent. No document states a confirmed cause, and the reported electrical failure is not linked by any source to the crash.
- Whether the deaths of the six people on board have been formally confirmed. The operator and the board statement say the six are presumed or feared dead, not that deaths were confirmed.
- The extent of the wreckage found and the status of search and recovery operations. The US Coast Guard is described as having found debris confirmed to be from the aircraft, but no document gives the quantity recovered or the current state of the search.
- The Transportation Safety Board said it will send investigators and assist in the search and recovery of the aircraft, with US agencies assisting under international agreements. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A medical evacuation aircraft crashes off the coast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, with six people on board. [ 3 ]
- Canada's Transportation Safety Board announces it will lead the investigation and says it will send investigators in the coming days to help search for and salvage the aircraft. [ 3 ]
- Xinhua publishes a short report that Canada will investigate the crash and that six people on board are feared dead. [ 1 ]
- Yicai publishes a report with the same headline summary. [ 2 ]
- Jiemian publishes a detailed account citing the Transportation Safety Board statement. [ 3 ]