The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for six people aboard a medical evacuation aircraft that had crashed off Nantucket, Massachusetts, during a flight from Bermuda to Boston on Saturday, October 3.
Search crews covered about 4,400 square miles (11,000 square kilometres) and found debris from the aircraft, but none of the six people aboard had been located when the operation ended.
The coast guard said crews and partner agencies searched for approximately 66 hours before the suspension. Next of kin have also been notified.
The aircraft carried four Canadian crewmembers and two Bermudian passengers, according to operator Latitude Air Ambulance.
“Given the information shared by authorities and the conclusion of the search and rescue phase, we must now face the heartbreaking reality that the four members of our Latitude team, our patient and the patient's family escort, who were aboard Heartbeat 104, are presumed to have died,” Latitude said in a statement on Sunday, October 4.
“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” said Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, Commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District. “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.”
The aircraft was a Gulfstream G100 registered as C-GRJP. The Federal Aviation Administration notified the coast guard at about 02:00 local time on Saturday that contact with the aircraft had been lost during the flight.
At Sunday's briefing, officials said the debris field was located roughly 20 miles (30 kilometres) south of Nantucket, where the water is about 80 to 90 feet (24 to 27 metres) deep.
The search involved HC-144 Ocean Sentry, HC-130 Hercules and MH-60 Jayhawk crews from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, along with boat crews from Coast Guard Station Brant Point.
The crew of the Boston-based coast guard Sentinel-class fast response cutter USCGC William Sparling also participated. The New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing supplied two HH-60 helicopter crews and an HC-130 aircraft.
Latitude described the suspension as a transition from active search and rescue to recovery efforts. The coast guard said the cause will be investigated by the appropriate authorities.
The operator said it will continue working with the US National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and other relevant authorities during recovery work and the investigation.
