Newly surfaced air traffic control recordings capture the tense final exchanges between a pilot and controllers before a Boston-bound medical flight vanished off the coast of Nantucket early Saturday.
The Gulfstream G100, operated by Canadian company Latitude Air Ambulance, departed Bermuda at 12:41 a.m. and dropped more than 10,000 feet before losing contact with the Federal Aviation Administration around 1:20 a.m. The agency issued a Search and Rescue Alert shortly after.
According to a transmission obtained by LiveATC.net, the pilot declared an emergency at 12:46 a.m. during a confusing radio exchange with a controller.
“You’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” the controller asked.
The controller went on to tell the pilot, “You’re coming in a little weak so I didn’t hear what your response was, if you were declaring an emergency or not,” before confirming the pilot was indeed declaring an emergency.
The same controller later asked the pilot of a separate aircraft whether the medical plane was showing up on its anti-collision system. That pilot said it was not.
Audio captured by Broadcastify and reviewed by the Boston Globe shows a Massport Fire Rescue dispatcher at 1:12 a.m. telling emergency crews to prepare for a plane with an “electrical issue” to land at Logan International Airport within about 15 minutes.
“The aircraft has lost radio and radar,” the dispatcher said.
The plane never reached Logan. Fire crews stood down from their response at 1:36 a.m. after the aircraft failed to arrive.
Six people were aboard: four Canadians — two medical personnel and two pilots — and two residents of Bermuda, a patient and a family member, according to Latitude Air Ambulance, which spoke to the Canadian Press.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which typically waits 24 hours after next of kin are notified before identifying victims or people who remain missing, said the search area sits roughly 13 nautical miles off the coast of Nantucket and spans 30 nautical miles by 20 nautical miles.
“The FAA is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the US Coast Guard to locate the aircraft,” a Coast Guard spokesperson said.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, speaking at a rally in Dorchester, said the state would do “whatever it takes” to support the Coast Guard’s search effort.
Bermuda Premier David Burt offered condolences and pledged his government’s assistance.
“My thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time,” Burt said in a statement. “We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing efforts.”
