Search continues overnight for six still unaccounted for

The U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday that crews searching the Atlantic off Nantucket, Massachusetts, located a debris field confirmed to be from a Boston-bound air ambulance that vanished early Saturday with six people aboard. A patient, a family member and a four-person crew remained unaccounted for at the time of the debris field’s discovery, a Coast Guard spokesperson said. Boats, planes and helicopters would continue working through the night, the agency said, with the cutter William Sparling leading search efforts.

The air ambulance, a Gulfstream G100, had taken off from Bermuda bound for Boston. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft around 1 a.m. local time on Saturday, the agency said.

FlightAware data show the plane descended thousands of feet within three minutes before disappearing from radar, according to the tracking service. A recording captured by LiveATC.net shows a controller asking the pilot at about 12:46 a.m., “You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?” and following up, “Are you declaring an emergency, or no?” The pilot’s response was not audible in the recording.

As the plane neared Nantucket, the crew reported electrical failures over the radio, according to transmissions reviewed by The Guardian.

The patient and family member on board were identified as citizens of Bermuda, while the four-person crew was identified as Canadian citizens. The names of those aboard the flight were not immediately released.

The Coast Guard said the cutter William Sparling would continue search efforts through the night. The agency reported that its crews had searched roughly 1,644 square miles — about 4,258 square kilometers — for the aircraft in about 27 hours.

Bermuda Premier David Burt said in a statement that his government had been in touch with the passengers’ families. “My thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time,” Burt said. “We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing efforts.”