US Coast Guard finds debris from missing medical jet off Nantucket

The US Coast Guard has located a confirmed debris field from a missing medical transport plane that vanished off the coast of Massachusetts, triggering an intensive multi-agency search in the Atlantic Ocean for the six people on board.

The aircraft, a Gulfstream G-100 twinjet operating under the call sign “Heartbeat 104” according to the Nantucket Current, departed from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda. Operated by Ontario-based Latitude Air Ambulance, the repatriation flight was carrying four Canadian crew members alongside a patient and their relative who were Bermudian nationals, bound for Boston Logan International Airport.

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Debris From Missing Medical Jet Found Off Nantucket, Search Continues For 6 People On Board

Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Latitude Air Ambulance, verified to CBC News and other outlets that the flight team consisted of two pilots and two medical staff, while the two passengers included a patient and a family member traveling to Massachusetts for medical care. The aircraft itself was registered under the tail number C-GRJP and had been part of Latitude's fleet.

Federal Aviation Administration tracking data and independent flight logs from FlightAware showed the aircraft maintaining a cruising altitude of 24,000 feet before executing a sudden and steep descent of several thousand feet in a matter of minutes as it approached the Massachusetts coastline. Air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net revealed mounting tension as controllers in New York struggled to maintain communication with the flight deck.

You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said? an air traffic controller asked the pilot around 12:46 a.m., according to audio reviewed by the Boston Globe. Are you declaring an emergency or no?

Controllers noted that the pilot's initial transmissions were weak and difficult to discern. Air traffic personnel later confirmed that the pilot had declared an emergency, reporting electrical problems as the jet approached the region. In an effort to establish contact, controllers even asked the pilot of an incoming Ethiopian Airlines jet and a second passing aircraft to attempt radio contact with the Gulfstream, though those attempts yielded no response.

As the situation deteriorated, a Massport Fire Rescue dispatcher directed emergency ground crews at Logan International Airport to stage on the runway just after 1 a.m., warning that the incoming flight had lost radio and radar capabilities. By 1:20 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration issued an official search-and-rescue alert notice and notified the US Coast Guard.

Former Department of Transportation inspector-general Mary Schiavo told reporters that the aircraft may have encountered a severe storm and suffered a catastrophic loss of navigational instruments. Something bad happened with this big drop, and they flew into this big storm, Schiavo said, noting that spatial disorientation can occur rapidly under such conditions when flying blind without instruments.

Government leaders from the affected regions offered statements of support as the offshore operation expanded. Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon posted on X that federal authorities were closely monitoring the situation and working alongside rescue teams. Bermuda Premier David Burt shared via Instagram that the island nation was keeping everyone affected in its prayers, stating, We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and thanking the search crews. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey pledged full state backing for the offshore mission.

The active offshore response mobilized heavy assets from the Coast Guard, including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, boats, and the fast response cutter USCGC William Sparling. Surface and air crews combed an expansive search area spanning thousands of square miles south of Nantucket, with local police and harbormasters also checking the island's southern shoreline. The US Coast Guard cutter William Sparling continued search operations throughout the night.

Authorities stated that a press briefing would be held on Sunday morning in Boston to provide further updates on the ongoing search and rescue efforts, while investigators from transportation safety boards anticipated opening a full-scale probe into the disaster.