The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for a medical evacuation plane that vanished off Nantucket over the weekend, after crews found debris believed to be from the aircraft floating in the waters near the Massachusetts island.
The decision was made Sunday evening, more than 40 hours after the Gulfstream G100 twinjet lost contact with the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft was carrying six people from Bermuda and was due to arrive in Boston at about 1:30 a.m.
“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” Rear Adm. Matthew Lake, commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District, said in a statement.
“We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and our gratitude for our partner agencies who helped support search efforts,” he added.
The Coast Guard and Latitude Air Ambulance, which owns the missing aircraft, said six people were aboard: four Canadians, including two pilots and two medics, along with a Bermudian patient and the patient’s relative.
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The air ambulance had departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport and was headed to Boston Logan International Airport when it disappeared from FAA radar shortly before its scheduled arrival, officials said.
FlightAware data indicated that the plane dropped from an altitude of 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet in roughly three minutes shortly before it vanished.
Audio recordings captured the aircraft’s final, muffled exchanges with air traffic control. The transmission appeared to suggest a possible emergency before communication with the controller suddenly ended.
Coast Guard crews searched through floating debris Saturday night and used the material to identify the aircraft before suspending the search the next day.
Officials said the next of kin of those aboard had been informed that the search was ending. An investigation into the plane’s disappearance and crash is expected to follow.