The US Coast Guard is searching for a missing medical plane carrying six people after it plunged almost 13,000 feet over the waters off Nantucket.
The Latitude Air Ambulance Gulfstream G100 had taken off from Bermuda for Boston late on Friday night. There were four crew members and two passengers aboard, according to an airport spokesperson.
About an hour into the flight, the pilot reported an emergency to air traffic control. Audio of the exchange indicated confusion over the aircraft’s situation as it approached the US mainland.
A New York City-based air traffic controller asked: “You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said? Are you declaring an emergency, or no?”
Flight data showed the plane descending from 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet in a matter of minutes at about 1.05am.
Air traffic control then lost contact with the aircraft and emergency crews were told to prepare to receive it at Boston’s Logan International Airport.
After the Federal Aviation Administration issued a search and rescue alert, the Coast Guard began looking for the plane in waters off Nantucket. The search remains under way.
