Nocturnal 
Wreckage from a missing air ambulance carrying six people has been found off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, after the aircraft vanished in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The Gulfstream G100, operated by Canadian firm Latitude Air Ambulance, was flying from Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport to Logan International Airport in Boston when it lost contact with air traffic control. The US Coast Guard confirmed it had located a “debris field” that has been linked to the missing plane, and said the next of kin of those on board had been notified.
Six people were on the Canadian-registered jet: two pilots, two medical staff, a patient from Bermuda and the patient’s relative, according to the Coast Guard, cited by the International Business Times. Flight data showed the aircraft left Bermuda at 11:41pm local time and remained airborne for around an hour before it suddenly dropped from a cruising altitude of roughly 25,000 feet to about 11,000 feet, shortly after 1am. Its final signal was picked up at around 1:30am, just before it was due to arrive in Boston, as first reported by ABC.
What air traffic audio reveals
Audio from air traffic control, posted by LiveATC.net, captured the pilot reporting electrical problems and declaring an emergency as the plane neared the US coast. The pilot can reportedly be heard telling controllers they were “coming in blind” as a storm loomed in the aircraft’s path, according to ABC.
Former US Department of Transportation inspector-general Mary Schiavo, an aviation attorney, said the sudden loss of altitude suggested the crew may have lost their navigational instruments while flying through the storm. “Something bad happened with this big drop, and they flew into this big storm,” she said. “It’s a terrible place to have a loss of your instruments and be flying blind. It’s very easy to get disoriented and not know if you’re turning, climbing, descending, etc.”
Latitude’s Director of Flight Operations, Clarence Togeretz, told NBC News the company grows concerned whenever a crew fails to check in on schedule, but added: “I will say that again, optimistically and positively, that doesn’t mean that the worst has happened.”
What happens next
The search operation has covered more than 1,644 square miles of ocean over 27 hours, involving the Coast Guard cutter William Sparling, a Jayhawk helicopter crew, motor lifeboat teams and aircraft from the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing. Search efforts were continuing through the night and into Sunday, the Coast Guard said.
No survivors have been found so far, and UNILAD reported that all six passengers are now presumed dead, though an official declaration has not been detailed. The US National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information but had not confirmed whether it would launch a formal investigation.
Transport Canada said it was closely monitoring the situation, with Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon posting an update on X. Bermuda’s Premier David Burt said his government was in contact with US authorities and the families involved, writing on Instagram that the country was “praying that all six people will be found safe.” That statement was issued before the debris field was confirmed.
For now, the cause of the crash remains unclear, and search teams are continuing to comb the waters off Nantucket for the six people who were on board.
