US Coast Guard finds debris from missing medical transport plane off Nantucket

The US Coast Guard reported Saturday evening that a debris field confirmed to be from a missing medical transport aircraft was found off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 air ambulance, disappeared over the Atlantic early on Saturday during a flight from Bermuda to Boston, leaving six passengers and crew unaccounted for.

Search operations involving boats, planes and helicopters were launched after flight controllers lost contact with the plane. A recorded exchange captured by LiveATC.net shows a controller asking the pilot, "You're coming in blind? Is that what you said? Are you declaring an emergency, or no?" The pilot’s response was not audible.

The flight, which departed Bermuda late on Saturday, was carrying a patient, a family member—both identified as Bermudian citizens—and a four-person crew of Canadian nationals. As the aircraft approached Nantucket, radio transmissions indicated electrical failures, and flight-tracking data shows the plane descended several thousand feet within three minutes before disappearing from radar at about 1 a.m. local time.

The Coast Guard’s cutter William Sparling will continue the search through the night, having covered roughly 1,644 square miles in about 27 hours. Bermudian officials said they have been in contact with the families of the missing passengers.

"Crews are continuing to search for the six people who were aboard the aircraft and the Coast Guard cutter William Sparling will continue search efforts throughout the night," a Coast Guard spokesperson said.