Six presumed dead after medical transport plane disappears off Nantucket

A medical transport aircraft operating between Bermuda and Boston vanished on Saturday, and authorities now consider the six people on board dead. The United States Coast Guard ended its search for survivors on Sunday evening after locating a debris field confirmed to be from the Gulfstream G-100.

The Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the plane just after 01:00 local time on Saturday. Flight data shows the aircraft descended sharply from about 7,300 metres to 3,300 metres before communications ceased. Radio transcripts indicate the air traffic controller asked whether the crew were declaring an emergency, but received no clear response.

Latitude Air Ambulance, which operated the flight, released a statement saying the four members of its crew, the patient and a family escort are presumed dead. > "Our thoughts are first and foremost with their families, loved ones, friends, and colleagues," the statement read.

Peter Byl, president of Latitude Air Ambulance, said the loss was profound for the organization and that the company will focus on supporting families and cooperating with investigators. > "Our focus now is on supporting their families, supporting our people and assisting the authorities," he said.

The flight had departed Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport at 23:40 on Friday and was scheduled to land at Boston's Logan International Airport at 01:30 EDT. Two pilots and two Canadian medical staff were aboard, having traveled to Bermuda to retrieve a patient and a relative. An area fire dispatcher reported an electrical issue shortly before the aircraft disappeared.