Six people aboard a medical evacuation flight that disappeared off the U.S. East Coast while travelling from Bermuda to Boston are now presumed dead after the search-and-rescue effort was called off, according to the Ontario-based company that operated the aircraft.
Hamilton-based Latitude Air Ambulance issued a statement saying the United States Coast Guard has concluded active search-and-rescue operations and transitioned to recovery efforts following the disappearance of Heartbeat 104 Medevac.
Authorities had been searching waters off the coast of Nantucket, Mass., after the aircraft vanished early Saturday morning.
The company said the decision means it must now confront “the heartbreaking reality” that the six people on board are presumed dead.
Those aboard the Gulfstream G100 included four Latitude crew members, a patient being transported from Bermuda to Boston, and a family escort accompanying the patient, the company said.
The aircraft disappeared around 1:30 a.m. ET Saturday while en route to Boston. Earlier Sunday, the Coast Guard said search crews were focusing their efforts around a debris field that had been located in the search area, but did not indicate at the time whether the mission had shifted from rescue to recovery.
Air traffic audio indicates that the plane may have been “coming in blind” when a storm loomed ahead shortly before it vanished.
The pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as the jet approached the coast, according to air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net. “Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” a controller can be heard asking the pilot.
Latitude said its four crew members were carrying out their mission of providing care to people during difficult moments when the tragedy occurred.
“Our four crew members were valued members of the Latitude family,” the company said in its statement. “They dedicated themselves to providing care to people at some of the most difficult moments in their lives.”
In a statement, Latitude president Peter Byl called the loss “unimaginable” and said the company’s immediate focus is supporting the families of those on board and assisting investigators.
The company said it will continue to cooperate with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and other authorities involved in the recovery effort and investigation.
No cause has been released, and Latitude said it will not speculate while investigators work to determine what happened.
With files from John Marchesan and Denio Lourenco, CityNews
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