The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for survivors after a medical transport Gulfstream G100 (IAI Astra) crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Massachusetts, with six people aboard.
The aircraft was flying from Bermuda to Boston when the FAA alerted the Coast Guard at around 2:00 a.m. Saturday that the aircraft had gone down. Four flight crew members from Canada and two passengers from Bermuda were on board.
Search crews located floating debris near the suspected crash site, prompting a large-scale operation involving three search aircraft, three helicopter crews, a motor lifeboat and the USCGC William Sparling.
Over the weekend, rescuers searched approximately 4,400 square miles of ocean but found no signs of survivors. The Coast Guard suspended the search Sunday, and all six people aboard are now presumed dead. Their next of kin have been notified.
Early flight data indicates the aircraft was cruising at about 24,000 feet before slowing and plunging from its altitude shortly after 1:00 a.m., roughly an hour before the FAA notification.
The suspected debris area is in relatively shallow water, around 80–90 feet deep, potentially allowing salvage divers to search for the main wreckage.
The Gulfstream G100 was operated by Latitude Air Ambulance and configured as a medical transport aircraft equipped with ICU-level medical equipment, including oxygen and suction systems.
Investigators are now working to determine why the aircraft suddenly lost altitude and crashed.
The Coast Guard expressed condolences to the families and thanked the agencies and crews involved in the extensive search operation.
