Coast Guard searching for missing medical plane carrying 6 people

The U.S. Coast Guard says it has deployed a helicopter, like this one pictured in July, as well as two search and rescue planes and a motor lifeboat to search for the plane that disappeared Saturday off the coast of Massachusetts.

Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Heather Diehl/Getty Images

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the waters south of Nantucket, Mass., for a Canadian air ambulance that disappeared early Saturday while traveling from Bermuda to Boston.

The Gulfstream G100 is believed to have been carrying six people on board when it lost contact with air traffic control, according to the Coast Guard.

Flight data shows the jet dropped at least 9,000 feet over two minutes, then leveled off for several more minutes, before disappearing. The pilot declared an emergency, according to Nantucket Memorial Airport. During an exchange, air traffic control asked the pilot of the air ambulance, “You’re coming in blind?”

A fire rescue dispatcher warned emergency crews to prepare for the planes’ arrival. She said it was 15 minutes away, suffering from electrical issues and had lost radio and radar, according to audio on Broadcastify and reviewed by The Boston Globe.

The Coast Guard has deployed two search and rescue planes as well as a helicopter and a motor lifeboat.

The plane is operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, based in Ontario, Canada. The company website says it has run thousands of missions since 2009 returning patients and loved ones to their families back home. The firm boasts “a flawless safety record.”

The website says the air ambulances are staffed by two pilots and a medical team and include a stretcher as well as full ICU medical equipment and supplies.

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