Medical aircraft carrying six loses contact near Nantucket as search begins

U.S. authorities have launched a major air and sea operation after a medical aircraft carrying six people on board could no longer be located off the coast of Nantucket.

The Gulfstream G100 aircraft departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda for Boston Logan at 00:41 on Saturday. Shortly before its scheduled arrival in Boston, at 01:25, communication with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was lost.

There were four crew members and two passengers on board, according to authorities.

Information published by FlightAware indicates that the aircraft lost altitude rapidly over a three-minute period beginning at around 01:04. The last radar tracking was recorded at around 01:23, just minutes before its expected landing time in Boston.

The FAA issued a search-and-rescue alert at around 01:20 and is coordinating the operation with the Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard was notified at around 02:00 and sent several vessels to search the area.

Two of its aircraft, an HC-144 and an MH-60, are conducting searches south of Nantucket. A rescue boat and a Coast Guard patrol vessel have also joined the operation.

So far, authorities have not announced that they have found the aircraft or any of its wreckage. A spokesperson for Massport, the institution that manages Logan Airport, expressed concern for those on board and their families.

“Our thoughts are with those on board and their loved ones as the search continues,” the spokesperson said.