Medevac Jet Bound for Boston Vanishes Off Nantucket; Coast Guard Launches Search for Six Aboard
NANTUCKET, Mass. — A medical transport jet flying from Bermuda to Boston vanished off the Massachusetts coast in the early hours of Oct. 3, with six people aboard, prompting a major U.S. Coast Guard air-and-sea search, the New York Post and Fox News reported.
The aircraft, a Canadian-registered twin-engine Gulfstream G100 operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, departed Bermuda's L. F. Wade International Airport around 11:41 p.m. on Oct. 2, bound for Boston Logan International Airport. On board were two pilots, two medical crew members, a patient and the patient's companion.
Flight data showed the jet plunging from 24,000 to 11,000 feet in about three minutes around 1 a.m. before air traffic controllers lost contact. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a search-and-rescue alert at about 1:20 a.m.
The Coast Guard's Northeast District confirmed that air and surface crews were searching an area about 13 nautical miles off Nantucket, 30 nautical miles wide and 20 long. Searchers later located a debris field linked to the missing jet, but as of press time the search for survivors continued through the night.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said the state would do "whatever it takes" to support the Coast Guard. Bermuda Premier David Burt offered condolences and pledged assistance. The Coast Guard planned a news conference for Sunday morning.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said the crew had reported an electrical system malfunction as the jet approached the Boston area.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国海岸警卫队HC-144A巡逻机驾驶舱内的机组人员。美国海岸警卫队官方照片，公有领域，取自 Wikimedia Commons
