By Rajwa Quasim
Six people aboard a Gulfstream G100 aircraft are presumed dead after the U.S. Coast Guard ended its search for survivors on Sunday evening. The medical transport aircraft disappeared off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, early Saturday morning.
The aircraft was carrying four Canadian crew members, a patient and a family member accompanying the patient. The two passengers were Bermudian citizens, while the crew members were Canadian.
The flight, identified as Heartbeat 104, departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport at 11:41 p.m. EDT on Friday and was headed to Boston Logan International Airport. It was scheduled to land at 1:30 a.m. EDT on Oct. 3.
According to information released by authorities, the aircraft descended from 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet around 1:07 a.m. and subsequently lost communication with air traffic controllers. Before its disappearance, the aircraft reportedly experienced problems during the flight, and the pilot reported electrical issues and declared an emergency.
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The air traffic controller asked the crew, “You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said? Are you declaring an emergency, or no?” The pilot’s response was inaudible. The controller then said, “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 disappearance triggered an extensive search operation involving Coast Guard aircraft and vessels, including an HC-144 Ocean Sentry, HC-130 Hercules, MH-60 Jayhawk and lifeboat crews. The assets were supported by an HC-130 and two HH-60 helicopters from the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing, as well as the Boston-based Coast Guard cutter William Sparling.
The search team eventually discovered a debris field in the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket and confirmed that it belonged to the Gulfstream G100. Before suspending the operation, crews searched about 4,445 square miles over roughly 66 hours.
Latitude Air Ambulance said in a statement, “We must now face the heartbreaking reality that the four members of our Latitude team, our patient and the patient’s family escort, who were aboard Heartbeat 104, are presumed to have died. Our thoughts are first and foremost with their families, loved ones, friends, and colleagues.”
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The Coast Guard said the cause of the incident will be examined in a future investigation by the relevant agencies. Latitude Air said it would coordinate with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
The company added, “Determining the circumstances and cause of an aviation accident is a careful and methodical process, and we will not speculate about what occurred.”
Latitude Air is a Canadian company specializing in international medical flights, transporting patients back to their home countries. Its fleet includes a Falcon 900B, two Learjet 35As, three Beech 1900-Ds and four G100 medevac aircraft.
According to the company’s website, its G100 aircraft can carry a patient on a stretcher with intensive-care medical equipment and supplies, and can accommodate up to two companions accompanying a patient.