U.S. Coast Guard Searches for Missing Air Ambulance with Six Aboard Off Massachusetts Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting an active search for an air ambulance jet with six people onboard that went missing during a flight from Bermuda to Boston early Saturday morning.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a search-and-rescue alert for the Gulfstream G-100 aircraft at approximately 1:20 a.m. local time after it lost contact with authorities.

The Canadian-registered air ambulance jet had four crew members and two passengers when it departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport overnight, according to a statement from the airport’s operator, Skyport.

The flight was performing a medical evacuation in Bermuda. Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Latitude Air Ambulance—the aircraft’s operator—expressed concern regarding the communication lapse. “We always get rather concerned when our crew doesn’t report to us in a timely manner,” he told NBC News. “But I will say that again, optimistically and positively, that doesn’t mean that the worst has happened.”

The aircraft did not arrive at Boston Logan International Airport as scheduled. A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Port Authority shared, “Our thoughts are with those onboard and their loved ones as the search continues.”

The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the aircraft. As of Saturday morning, the search area was focused off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, with air and surface crews deployed to search the waters.

According to a source with knowledge of the investigation cited by ABC News, there were no Americans onboard the plane, though the identities of those involved have not been publicly released. Officials believe the plane rapidly descended 7,500 feet before hitting the water.

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