The U.S. Coast Guard is currently conducting a search for an Ontario-based air ambulance that disappeared on Saturday with six individuals onboard, including four Canadians. The Gulfstream G100 jet departed from Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport and was expected to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport early Saturday, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The missing jet, registered as C-GRJP, belongs to Latitude Air Ambulance, a company based in Ontario operating from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. The FAA initiated a search and rescue alert notice for the aircraft at 1:20 a.m. ET, collaborating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the plane.
The search is concentrated off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, where the U.S. Coast Guard air team is actively engaged in the operation. Multiple teams, including an airplane and helicopter crew from Cape Cod, a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Brant Point, and the William Sparling patrol ship, are assisting in the search efforts.
Flight tracking data from FlightAware indicates that the jet descended from 7,300 meters to 3,400 meters around 1 a.m. ET before stabilizing. Nantucket Memorial Airport received information that the aircraft declared an emergency before losing contact, as stated by airport spokesperson Preston Harimon.
Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Latitude, confirmed that the air ambulance crew consists of two pilots and two medical staff, all Canadian nationals. The crew had traveled to Bermuda to retrieve a patient and their non-Canadian relative. Latitude lost contact with the aircraft around 1:30 a.m. Saturday as it neared Boston.
Latitude Air Ambulance, primarily offering medical evacuation and repatriation services, is currently facing this unprecedented situation with optimism and hopes for a safe resolution. Canadian and Bermudan officials are actively coordinating efforts, with the Canadian government closely monitoring the situation and providing support to the search and rescue operations.
Joshua McNamara, a spokesperson for Ontario-based air ambulance service Ornge, expressed deep concern over the missing Latitude Air Ambulance flight, emphasizing that the incident is not related to Ornge operations. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the disappearance of the jet, with ongoing efforts to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.