The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for a medical evacuation aircraft that vanished off Nantucket over the weekend, after crews found debris believed to be from the plane floating near the Massachusetts island.
The decision was announced Sunday evening, more than 40 hours after the Gulfstream G100 twinjet lost contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft had been carrying six people from Bermuda and was due to arrive in Boston at about 1:30 a.m.
“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” Rear Adm. Matthew Lake, commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District, said in a statement.
Lake extended condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones, while thanking partner agencies that assisted with the search effort.
The aircraft had six people aboard: four Canadians — including two pilots and two medics — along with a Bermudian patient and the patient’s relative, according to the Coast Guard and Latitude Air Ambulance, which owned the plane.
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The air ambulance was flying from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda to Boston Logan International Airport when it disappeared from FAA radar shortly before its scheduled arrival, officials said.
FlightAware data indicates the plane dropped from 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet in roughly three minutes shortly before it disappeared.
Audio from the final exchange with air traffic controllers captured muffled communications that appeared to indicate a possible emergency before contact was suddenly lost.
Coast Guard crews examined floating debris Saturday night and determined it was connected to the missing aircraft. The search was suspended the next day.
Authorities said the passengers’ next of kin had been informed that the search was ending. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is expected to follow.
