Medical Plane Vanishes After Mysterious Mid-Air Emergency

A Boston-bound medical plane vanished off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, early Saturday morning.

The plane, a Gulfstream G100 with six people aboard, was flying from Bermuda. It lost contact with the Federal Aviation Administration around 2 a.m., the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Officials said airplane, helicopter and lifeboat crews are now searching the area.

The New York Times reports that the plane was operated by Canadian medical evacuation company Latitude Air Ambulance, which transports patients to and from medical facilities. According to the company’s website, it operates ten aircraft, equipped with onboard stretchers, oxygen, and ICU supplies.

The plane took off from Bermuda at around 11:41 p.m. Eastern time and was set to arrive in Boston at 1:25 a.m., according to the online tracker FlightAware. The website’s data show the plane abruptly dropping more than 10,000 feet before losing contact.

Radio transmissions obtained by the Boston Globe show an air traffic controller asking the pilot if they were declaring an emergency.

“You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?” the air traffic controller asked at 12:46 a.m. “Are you declaring an emergency or no?”

“You’re coming in a little weak, so I didn’t hear what your response was,” the controller continued.

The plane has made almost daily journeys in recent weeks, mostly within Canada. On Sept. 24, it flew from Bermuda to Boston.

Latitude’s operations manager, Clarence Togeretz, told The New York Times that two Canadian pilots, two Canadian staff members, and two other people were on board. One passenger was a patient.

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