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The U.S. Coast Guard said that as of sunset on Sunday it had suspended the search for people who were aboard the Ontario-based air ambulance that went missing while flying from Bermuda to Boston.
Six people — including four Canadians — were aboard.
“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, the U.S. Coast Guard’s northeast district commander, said in a statement.
“We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and our gratitude for our partner agencies who helped support search efforts.”
Debris field located
Earlier Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said search crews located a debris field linked to the missing medical transport plane about 32 km off the coast of Nantucket, Mass.
During a news conference in Boston earlier Sunday, Lake said the search was ongoing with locating the six personnel on the missing aircraft a priority.
“As we do so, we’ve also been keeping next of kin notified with the progress of our search efforts,” Lake said, noting that authorities have searched about 7,355 sq. km in the last 53 hours to find the debris field.
He estimated the depth of the water in the debris field to be around 80 to 90 feet.
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Missing jet registered to Hamilton company
Lake said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard at about 2 a.m. on Saturday that it lost contact with a Gulfstream G100 jet with the tail number C-GRJP.
The missing aircraft, operated by Hamilton-based Latitude Air Ambulance, was carrying two pilots, two medical staff, one patient and a family member when it went missing on Saturday, company spokesperson Clarence Togeretz told AFP.
During Sunday’s news conference, Lt.-Cmdr. Kastriot Kastrati said the Coast Guard didn’t have an exact number of items search crews had recovered from the debris field.
“Right now, we’re really just focused on finding the people,” Kastrati said.
Lake said there was no indication that the lost aircraft’s black box was among the recovered items.
In a statement posted Sunday on X , Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she was “deeply concerned” by the disappearance of the Canadian aircraft.
“Global Affairs Canada consular officials are in contact with the relevant authorities as search and rescue efforts continue,” she said.
“My thoughts are with everyone on board and their loved ones,” she added, thanking U.S. authorities and others involved for their efforts.
Plane may have been ‘coming in blind’
The missing air ambulance had departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport early Saturday morning, the airport’s operator Skyport said in statements obtained by various news outlets.
According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, the missing plane took off at 12:41 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport.
The plane was travelling at a cruising altitude of about 24,000 feet before sharply dropping to 11,000 feet, based on data posted on FlightAware.
Air traffic audio shared online indicates the air ambulance’s pilots may have encountered issues as it was approaching the Massachusetts coast.
“Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” an air traffic controller at a New York control centre asks the pilots in audio posted by LiveATC.net.
The controller repeatedly asks the pilots for confirmation, but no response is audible in the recording. He then asks another plane flying in the area to attempt to contact the air ambulance.