A medical evacuation plane with six people on board, flying from Bermuda to Boston, went missing near the coast of Nantucket on Saturday, October 3. The U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search operation following the disappearance of the plane after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lost contact with it. The details of the plane’s disappearance have yet to be determined.
The plane, which is identified as a Gulfstream G100, took off from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda at 12:41 p.m. local time and was heading for Boston Logan International Airport, with an estimated time of arrival at 1:25 a.m., reported the New York Post.
An FAA spokesperson told the outlet: “The FAA issued a Search and Rescue Alert Notice for Gulfstream G-100 around 1:20 a.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 3.” The agency confirmed that six people were on board and said it was coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the Coast Guard to locate the aircraft.
The data from FlightAware provided to the Post showed that the plane made a descent from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet within around three minutes, starting at 1:04 am. The last radar information for the plane was at around 1:23 am. The fact that the plane has descended is a significant one; however, it hasn’t been officially recognized as the reason for the disappearance yet.
Coast Guard launches air and sea search
According to the Coast Guard, the search and rescue operation was called on behalf of the FAA at about 2 a.m. The air and water search started off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. According to the statement reported by the Post, the aircraft used included an HC-144 and an MH-60 helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod, and a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Brant Point and the fast response cutter USCGC William Sparling.
According to the Associated Press, the Coast Guard had been sent by both air and water in an effort to find the missing plane.
The aircraft was described in media reports as a medical transfer plane. However, officials had not released the identities of those aboard or confirmed whether a patient was among the six people. No cause of the loss of contact, distress call or confirmed debris discovery had been publicly reported in the initial accounts.
