Plane flying from Bermuda goes missing after 'losing contact' with FAA as search launched
A plane heading for Boston has disappeared somewhere off the coast of Nantucket, prompting the Coast Guard to launch a desperate search mission.
The aircraft was carrying six passengers as part of a medical transfer from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda to Boston Logan International Airport.
After leaving Bermuda at 12.41am local time on Saturday, October 3, the Gulfstream G100 lost contact with the Federal Aviation Administration before it was due to land at 1.25am, FlightAware has recorded.
A spokesperson for L.F. Wade International Airport released a statement in which it said the 'six souls' on the flight were four crew members and two passengers. Although not confirmed, medical evacuation flights usually operate with two pilots, a nurse and a respiratory therapist onboard.
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FlightAware data has revealed the plane plummeted from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in just three minutes at 1.04am, with the final radar ping coming in at 1.23am just before the aircraft was scheduled to land, but the plane never arrived at Boston Logan International Airport.
Authorities are now scrambling to find the missing aircraft, with search teams scouring the seas for the plane and any possible wreckage.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration told The Post: "The FAA issued a Search and Rescue Alert Notice for Gulfstream G-100 around 1.20am local time on Saturday, Oct. 3.
"The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the aircraft."
The Coast Guard has confirmed it was alerted to the missing aircraft by the FAA at around 2am. Now FlightRader24 states that two Coast Guard aircraft are currently searching in the area just south of Nantucket.
The US Coast Guard said in a statement: "The current search area is offshore of Nantucket. Coast Guard, air and surface cruise are actively responding, including: planes HC-144 and MH-60 from Air Station Cape Cod; a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat from Station Brant Point; and a Fast Response cutter from ship USCGC William Sparling.
"The Coast Guard will continue searching and provide additional information as it becomes available."
Meanwhile, Boston Logan Airport has shared condolences to the passengers and their loved ones in a statement which read: "Our thoughts are with those on board and their loved ones as the search continues."
Clarence Togeretz, who works as the director of flight operations at Latitude Air Ambulance, confirmed that an emergency response plan is in place for 'absolutely for anything that might occur to any of our missions'.
He also added that while concerns are high, it doesn't mean people should immediately fear for the worst.
"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."
Emma Rosemurgey