US Coast Guard suspends search for crashed medical aircraft

The United States Coast Guard has suspended the search for six individuals who were aboard a medical transport aircraft that crashed off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The search operation, which involved both aircraft and vessels, was called off on October 4 after authorities recovered debris from the site late the previous day.

The aircraft, a Gulfstream jet operated by the Canadian medical transport provider Latitude Air Ambulance, was en route to Boston’s Logan International Airport from Bermuda. Flight tracking data indicates the plane departed Bermuda at 12:41 a.m. on October 3. Air traffic control recordings from Logan Airport captured a controller attempting to contact the pilot to ask if an emergency was being declared, but no response was received.

Officials confirmed that the six people on board included four Canadian nationals and two citizens of Bermuda. According to a statement released by Latitude Air Ambulance, the passengers and crew consisted of four company team members, a patient, and a family escort.

Rear-Admiral Matthew Lake, commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District, stated that the decision to suspend the search was difficult. Following the conclusion of the search-and-rescue phase, the company issued a statement acknowledging that those on board the flight, identified as Heartbeat 104, are now presumed to have died.

The company has indicated that it is working to address the aftermath of the incident. The suspension of the search marks the end of the active recovery efforts by the Coast Guard in the waters off the Massachusetts coast.