A Canadian-registered medical transfer aircraft disappeared from radar while flying from Bermuda to Boston, prompting a major U.S. Coast Guard search near Nantucket.
A Hamilton-based air ambulance jet carrying six people has gone missing off the coast of Massachusetts after air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft during an overnight flight from Bermuda to Boston.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched both air and surface search operations after being notified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The search is focused in waters off Nantucket, an island south of mainland Massachusetts.
The aircraft is a Gulfstream G100, registered in Canada and identified by the tail number C-GRJP. Reports identify it as a medical transfer aircraft operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, a company based in Hamilton, Ontario.
Contact Lost During Bermuda-to-Boston Flight
The aircraft departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda late Friday night and was travelling toward Boston Logan International Airport.
The FAA reported losing contact with the aircraft early Saturday morning. The Coast Guard was subsequently alerted and began deploying aircraft and vessels to locate it.
According to the Coast Guard, six people were aboard the aircraft. The agency has not publicly released the identities of those on board or confirmed their condition.
The aircraft had been expected to continue north toward Boston before communications were lost.
Search Underway Near Nantucket
The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed both aircraft and surface vessels as part of the search operation.
Units involved include crews from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod and Station Brant Point in Nantucket, along with the USCGC William Sparling. Search teams are concentrating on an area south of Nantucket where the aircraft was last known to be operating.
The search remains active, and authorities have said they will provide further information as it becomes available.
At this stage, officials have not confirmed that the aircraft crashed, and there has been no official announcement of wreckage or survivors.
Aircraft Identified as Canadian-Registered Medical Jet
The missing aircraft is a Gulfstream G100, a twin-engine business jet that can be configured for medical transportation.
Flight-tracking and aviation information identify the aircraft as being operated by Latitude Air Ambulance. The company provides medical transportation services, including flights involving patients who require specialized medical care away from their home location.
Canadian reporting has identified the aircraft as Hamilton-based and Ontario-operated.
It was operating internationally at the time of the incident, travelling between Bermuda and the United States.
Rapid Descent Reported Before Contact Was Lost
Some flight-tracking data indicates that the aircraft experienced a significant change in altitude shortly before communications were lost.
Reports based on available tracking information indicate that the aircraft descended rapidly from a much higher cruising altitude before disappearing from tracking data. However, authorities have not confirmed the cause of the altitude change or whether it was connected to an emergency.
Investigators will need to establish the aircraft’s final position, flight path and operating conditions before determining what happened.
Weather conditions in the Nantucket area were reportedly clear at the time of the search, although investigators will assess all relevant environmental and technical factors.
Coast Guard Coordinates With Aviation Authorities
The search is being coordinated between the U.S. Coast Guard and aviation authorities following the FAA’s loss of contact with the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also monitoring the incident and gathering information, although no detailed findings about the aircraft’s disappearance have been announced.
The immediate priority remains locating the aircraft and determining what happened after contact was lost.
Families Await Information
The disappearance has prompted concern for the six people aboard the medical aircraft.
Because the aircraft was operating an air ambulance mission, authorities are expected to establish whether the two passengers were patients or other travellers and determine the roles of the four crew members.
Officials have so far withheld further details while the search continues.
Investigation Will Follow Search
Once the aircraft or relevant debris is located, investigators will be able to examine the circumstances surrounding the loss of communication.
Authorities will likely review air-traffic-control recordings, radar information, flight-tracking data, aircraft maintenance records and communications from the crew.
Until those details are established, officials have not identified a confirmed cause for the disappearance.
Conclusion
A Hamilton-based Ontario air ambulance jet carrying six people has disappeared while travelling from Bermuda to Boston, triggering a major search operation off Nantucket.
The U.S. Coast Guard is using aircraft and surface vessels to locate the Canadian-registered Gulfstream G100, while U.S. aviation authorities and investigators gather information about the flight.
For now, the aircraft’s fate remains unknown. Authorities have not confirmed a crash, and search crews continue working to locate the jet and determine what happened during its final stage of flight.