A search is in progress for a jet believed to carry six people that vanished off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The plane disappeared early Saturday morning while flying from Bermuda to Boston.
The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 with Canadian registration G100 C-GRJP, is owned by Latitude Air Ambulance, based in Ontario. This company specializes in transporting patients for medical treatment. Flightradar24, a real-time air traffic monitoring service, captured the last known position of the jet on their map.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the plane, which left L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda, was bound for Boston’s Logan International Airport. The identities of the individuals on board are currently unknown. However, information from Toronto’s City News, citing Clarence Togeretz, operations manager at Latitude Air Ambulance, mentions that the flight consisted of four Canadian crew members and two passengers from Bermuda.
Latitude Air Ambulance was contacted for comments by Newsweek via email on Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard Northeast district confirmed in a statement to Newsweek that they are deploying multiple resources for the search. The statement mentioned, “Coast Guard air and surface crews are searching an area off the coast of Nantucket.” Their response team includes:
- An HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod
- HC-130 Hercules crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City
- An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod
- A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Brant Point
- Coast Guard Cutter William Sparling, a Boston-based Fast Response Cutter
Data from FlightAware, another flight tracking platform, noted that the plane left Bermuda at 11:41 p.m. ET. The last radar signal came at 1:23 a.m. ET, just before its expected landing. Flight data reveals a rapid descent of over 9,000 feet in two minutes.
Rick Breitenfeldt, FAA public affairs specialist, informed Newsweek in an email on Saturday, “The FAA issued a Search and Rescue Alert Notice (ALNOT) for a Gulfstream G-100 around 1:20 a.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 3.” He mentioned that the FAA is collaborating with both the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the aircraft.
In a statement to Newsweek, Benjamin Crawley from MassPort, which manages Boston Logan International Airport, said, “We can confirm that the aircraft did not arrive at Boston Logan as scheduled. Our thoughts are with those on board and their loved ones as the search continues.”