Coast Guard Locates Debris From Missing Medical Aircraft Off Nantucket

The U.S. Coast Guard announced late Saturday it had discovered debris from a medical transport aircraft off the coast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, as it continued its search for six individuals who were on board.

The Federal Aviation Administration had alerted the Coast Guard early Saturday after losing contact with a Gulfstream jet en route from Bermuda to Boston. Several hours later, the Coast Guard confirmed in a statement that it had "located a debris field that has been confirmed to be associated with the missing aircraft."

Four of the passengers were Canadian nationals, according to Canadian Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon. "We are closely monitoring the situation and are working with the relevant authorities as search and rescue efforts continue," he stated on X. The remaining two passengers were Bermudian nationals, the Coast Guard reported. Search operations were expected to continue through the night near Nantucket, an island community situated south of mainland Massachusetts.

Data from flight tracking website FlightAware indicated the aircraft, registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, departed Bermuda at 12:41 a.m. Saturday. The jet maintained an altitude of 24,000 feet for much of the flight before rapidly descending 13,000 feet in approximately two minutes, shortly before contact was lost.

Recordings from Boston Logan International Airport captured an air traffic controller inquiring if the Gulfstream pilot was "coming in blind." The controller subsequently asked if the plane was declaring an emergency, but no response was heard.

Latitude Air Ambulance, based in Ontario, Canada, specializes in medical evacuation services. The company had not immediately responded to requests for comment. The Bermuda government is in communication with U.S. authorities and the families of those on board, Premier David Burt announced in a statement posted on Instagram. "We are praying that all six people will be found safe," he wrote.