In brief
A medical transport aircraft with six passengers went missing in the early hours of Saturday as it approached Boston, leading to an intensive but ultimately futile search by the U.S. Coast Guard. The operator, Latitude Air Ambulance, announced that all four crew members, the patient, and an accompanying family member are presumed dead. Flight data shows the plane descended sharply from 24,000 ft to 11,000 ft before communications failed. Authorities have recovered a debris field, and investigations continue to determine the cause of the crash.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Sunday that it was ending its search for a missing Gulfstream G‑100 medical transport that disappeared on Saturday while traveling from Bermuda to Boston.
Latitude Air Ambulance, the airline’s operator, confirmed that the four crew members, the patient, and a family escort were aboard the aircraft named Heartbeat 104 and are now presumed dead.
Flight data from FlightAware shows the plane departed Bermuda at 23:40 local time on Friday and was scheduled to land at Boston Logan at 01:30 EDT. Communications with the aircraft went dark just after 01:00 EDT, with a rapid drop in altitude from 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet before the loss of signal.
On Saturday evening, officials discovered a debris field that matched the missing plane, confirming the crash. The Coast Guard’s final briefing indicated no survivors were found.
Four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals were among those on board, all of whom were involved in a medical transport mission under Latitude’s services.
Peter Byl, president of Latitude Air Ambulance, expressed deep sorrow for the loss, stating that the organization will support families, staff, and the ongoing investigation as it continues.
Investigators are reviewing flight recorder data, radio transmissions, and radar records to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the crash, while the company has pledged not to speculate prematurely.
The incident has reignited discussions about safety protocols for aviation medical transport, especially over oceanic routes where emergency communications are critical.
The Coast Guard concluded the search after more than a day of tracking, in part because all indications pointed to the aircraft’s aircraft having suffered catastrophic failure and crashing into the sea.
