Chilling Audio Captures Moments Before Boston-Bound Plane Vanished
Air traffic control recordings reveal a distressed pilot and confusion moments before the medical aircraft lost contact.
Chilling audio transmissions from the moments before a Boston-bound medical plane vanished off the coast of Nantucket Saturday reveal a panicked exchange between the pilot and air traffic controllers.
The Gulfstream G100 departed Bermuda at 12:41 a.m. and plummeted more than 10,000 feet before losing contact with the Federal Aviation Administration at approximately 1:20 a.m. The FAA subsequently issued a Search and Rescue Alert notice.
The pilot of the aircraft, carrying six people, declared an emergency at 12:46 a.m., according to radio transmissions obtained by LiveATC.net.
"You’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?" the air traffic controller asked, appearing to struggle to understand the pilot, whose response was inaudible.
"You’re coming in a little weak so I didn’t hear what your response was, if you were declaring an emergency or not," the controller stated, before confirming that the pilot was indeed declaring an emergency.
Later, the controller was heard asking the pilot of a separate aircraft if the missing plane was visible on their anti-collision system, to which the other pilot responded in the negative.
A Massport Fire Rescue dispatcher informed emergency crews at 1:12 a.m. to prepare for a plane with an "electrical issue" to land at Logan International Airport in approximately 15 minutes. "The aircraft has lost radio and radar," the dispatcher said, according to radio audio reviewed by The Boston Globe.
The plane never arrived at the airport, and the fire crews' response was called off at 1:36 a.m., according to radio transmissions.
Latitude Air Ambulance, the company operating the flight, confirmed that the aircraft carried four Canadians—two medical personnel and two pilots—and two Bermuda natives, a patient and their relative.
The US Coast Guard identifies victims or missing individuals 24 hours after next of kin are notified, according to a spokesperson.
The search area for the rescue mission is located 13 nautical miles off the coast of Nantucket and spans 30 nautical miles wide by 20 nautical miles long.
"The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the US Coast Guard to locate the aircraft," a statement read.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey stated that the state would provide "whatever it takes" to support the Coast Guard's efforts. Premier of Bermuda David Burt expressed condolences and pledged assistance in the search and rescue operations, stating, "My thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time."