2 hrs ago
Coast Guard Searches for Missing Bermuda-to-Boston Medical Jet
A medical airplane was flying from Bermuda to Boston when it stopped communicating early Saturday.
The plane was a Gulfstream G100 operated by Latitude Air Ambulance.
Six people were aboard, including four crew members and two passengers.
The U.S. Coast Guard searched the ocean near Nantucket with boats and aircraft.
Flight-tracking information showed the plane dropped quickly before it disappeared from radar.
Audio from air traffic control indicated the pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency.
An aviation expert said losing instruments near a storm could make flying difficult, but that is not a confirmed explanation.
Officials had not said what caused the plane to disappear.
The National Transportation Safety Board was gathering information.
A Canadian-registered Gulfstream G100 operated by Latitude Air Ambulance disappeared early Saturday while flying from Bermuda to Boston.
The aircraft had six people aboard: four crew members and two passengers; Canada’s transport minister said four were Canadian nationals.
The U.S. Coast Guard searched waters south of Nantucket using air and surface units, including aircraft, a helicopter, a cutter and a motor lifeboat.
Flight-tracking data showed a sharp descent, reported as about 9,000 feet in two minutes; air traffic control audio indicated the pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency.
Officials had not established why the aircraft disappeared; the NTSB was gathering information, while an aviation expert suggested instrument loss and a storm may have contributed.
- Who
- Six people—four crew members and two passengers—were aboard a Latitude Air Ambulance Gulfstream G100; Canada’s transport minister said four were Canadian nationals.
- What
- The air ambulance disappeared after losing contact, prompting a search and rescue operation.
- Where
- The flight was travelling from Bermuda to Boston; the search focused on waters south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
- When
- Early Saturday.
- Why
- The aircraft lost contact after the pilot reportedly reported electrical problems and declared an emergency; the cause of the disappearance was not established.
Possible explanation
Official status
Electrical problems, instruments and storm
Possible explanation
Aviation attorney and former Transportation Department Inspector General Mary Schiavo said the sharp descent and reported electrical problems could indicate instrument loss; she suggested a storm may have made the situation more dangerous.
Official status
Officials had not established a cause for the disappearance. The Coast Guard was searching, and the NTSB said it was gathering information.
Key facts
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream G100, Canadian registration C-GRJP
- Operator
- Latitude Air Ambulance
- Route
- L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda to Boston Logan International Airport
- People aboard
- Six: four crew members and two passengers
- Canadian nationals
- Canada’s transport minister said four people aboard were Canadian nationals
- Reported flight data
- The jet descended about 9,000 feet in two minutes, according to reports citing flight-tracking data
- Search area and response
- Waters south of Nantucket; Coast Guard air and surface units were deployed
- Cause
- Not established in the reports
Quotes
Air traffic controller
Controller heard in air traffic control audio speaking to the pilot.
“Something bad happened with this big drop, and they flew into this big storm. 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. Spatial orientation hits pretty quickly.”
thehansindia.com
“Roger, you said you're coming in blind. Is that what you said?”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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