Search For 6 Missing Suspended After Medical Aircraft Disappears Off MA Coast

NANTUCKET, MA — The U.S. Coast Guard announced Sunday evening that it was suspending its search for the six people who had been aboard a medical transport aircraft when it disappeared over the weekend off the coast of Nantucket.

The Federal Aviation Administration had notified the Coast Guard around 2 a.m. Saturday that contact had been lost with the Gulfstream G100 bound for Boston from Bermuda.

Coast Guard Capt. John McTamney had said during the weekend that the agency would continue to search “until we’re at the point where we are confident that if there were any survivors remaining on the surface of the water, we would have found them.”

The plane had four crew members and two passengers aboard when it departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport for the nighttime flight to Massachusetts, according to a statement from the Bermuda airport’s operator, Skyport.

Those on board included four Canadian nationals and two Bermuda nationals, according to the Coast Guard, which added that next of kin had been notified.

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.

FlightAware data shows the flight plunged from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet at around 1 a.m.

Debris from the aircraft was discovered on Saturday. The depth of the water around the debris field was 80-90 feet.

The Coast Guard and partner agency assets searched 4,445 miles over about 66 hours.

“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” Rear Adm. Matthew Lake said in a news release Sunday. “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 Associated Press contributed to this story.