Bermuda-Boston plane debris found off US coast after 14,000-foot plunge in 2 minutes

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Debris from a medical transport plane that disappeared while flying from Bermuda to Boston has been found off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, the US Coast Guard said. The six people on board remain missing as search and rescue operations continue.

The Canadian-registered Gulfstream G100, operated by Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance, lost contact with air traffic controllers around 1:30 am Saturday while travelling from Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport to Boston Logan International Airport.

“Coast Guard search crews located a debris field that has been confirmed to be associated with the missing aircraft,” the agency said. “Crews are continuing to search for the six people who were aboard the aircraft.”

Six People On Board

The aircraft was carrying four crew members and two passengers — two pilots, two medical staff, a patient and a family member.

The US Coast Guard said four people on board were Canadian nationals and two were Bermudian nationals. Authorities have been notifying their next of kin.

Latitude Air Ambulance provides medical evacuation and repatriation services, transporting patients back to their home countries. The company's director of flight operations, Clarence Togeretz, told CBC that the crew had flown to Bermuda to collect a patient and their relative.

Plane Plunged 14,000 Feet In Two Minutes

Preliminary data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed the aircraft descending from around 24,000 feet to approximately 10,000 feet within two minutes before contact was lost. Other flight-tracking data cited by media outlets put the drop at around 13,000-14,000 feet over roughly the same period.

Pilot Reported Electrical Problems

Air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net indicates the pilot reported an electrical problem, while a controller was heard asking whether the aircraft was “coming in blind” shortly before contact was lost.

“Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” a controller can be heard asking the pilot.

The pilot's response was not clearly audible. The controller then asked whether the pilot was declaring an emergency and later confirmed that the aircraft had declared one, according to reports citing the recording.

An emergency dispatcher also reportedly told responders to prepare for an aircraft with an electrical problem.

Former US Transportation Department Inspector General Mary Schiavo, an aviation attorney, said the reported electrical problems, sharp descent and approaching storm could have left the pilots without key navigational instruments and caused disorientation. Her comments were speculative and did not establish what caused the aircraft to disappear.

Coast Guard Expands Search

The Coast Guard said its crews, along with the New York National Guard and Massachusetts authorities, had searched more than 2,800 square miles off the Massachusetts coast using fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, boats and cutters.

The debris field was found in waters about 80 to 90 feet deep, according to Coast Guard officials. Crews were deploying sonar to search the seabed as the search for the six people continued.

The Coast Guard said weather conditions were not hampering the search on Sunday.

“We’ll continue to search and saturate the area until we’re at the point where we are confident that if there were any survivors remaining on the surface of the water, we would have found them,” Coast Guard Capt. John McTamney said.

Transport Canada said it was coordinating with authorities involved in the search and rescue operation. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information about the incident and had not immediately confirmed whether it would investigate.