What happened
A Gulfstream G100 medical transport jet departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda bound for Boston Logan International Airport, carrying six people, according to the Boston Globe and ABC7 New York. The Globe reported the aircraft left Bermuda at 11:41 p.m. Friday, while ABC7 New York put the departure at about 12:41 a.m. Saturday; both outlets attributed their timing to flight records and officials. The Globe reported the crew declared an emergency around 12:46 a.m. Saturday while in contact with air traffic controllers, after which the aircraft lost radio and radar contact and never reached Logan Airport.
According to the Globe, the plane had been cruising at 24,000 feet and had descended to 11,000 feet when it was about 128 miles south of Logan. ABC7 New York, citing an unnamed investigation source, reported that the aircraft rapidly descended roughly 7,500 feet before it hit the water, and that controllers had difficulty hearing the pilots and repeatedly asked them to confirm altitude. The same report said air traffic control tried, without success, to relay messages to the jet through a nearby Ethiopian Airlines flight. Neither the Coast Guard nor the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had publicly confirmed a crash as of Saturday afternoon.
Timeline of the flight
Reported timeline of the missing flight| Event | Time reported | Source |
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| Departure from Bermuda | 11:41 p.m. Friday (Oct. 2) | Boston Globe |
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| Emergency declared | Around 12:46 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 3) | Boston Globe |
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| Search-and-rescue alert issued | 1:20 a.m. Saturday | Boston.com |
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| Radar contact lost | Around 2 a.m. Saturday | ABC7 New York |
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| Coast Guard's first public update | 6:15 a.m. Saturday | Boston.com |
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Who was aboard
Six people were on the aircraft: four crew members and two passengers, according to the Boston Globe and ABC7 New York. Canada's transportation agency leader, Steven MacKinnon, said four Canadian citizens were among those aboard but did not specify their roles, the Globe reported. ABC7 New York, citing an investigation source, reported there were no Americans aboard the plane. The aircraft was registered in Canada.
Search operation
The U.S. Coast Guard said air and surface crews launched a search off Nantucket's coast, deploying helicopters, a fixed-wing aircraft, a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Brant Point on Nantucket and the fast-response cutter USCGC William Sparling, according to Boston.com and the Boston Globe. On social media, the Coast Guard said: "Air [and] surface crews have launched in search of the aircraft. Updates will be provided here as info becomes available."
Nantucket police searched Nantucket Memorial Airport and the island's southern shoreline but found no evidence of the aircraft, the Globe reported. Massachusetts Port Authority spokesperson Jennifer Mehigan said in a statement reported by Boston.com that the authority's thoughts were with those on board and their loved ones as the search continued. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, the search remained active with no confirmed wreckage, according to Boston.com.
Background: the aircraft and operator
The missing aircraft is a Gulfstream G100, a light business jet, operating as an air ambulance for Latitude Air Ambulance, a company based in Ontario, Canada, according to the Boston Globe. Latitude Air Ambulance provides medical transport flights between health care facilities, the Globe reported.
Fox News reported on its Fox Report Weekend program that audio recordings from the flight had been released as part of coverage of the search, without detailing their content on the network's video page.
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