US Coast Guard Ends Search for Six Missing After Medical Jet Crashes Off Nantucket

The United States Coast Guard has officially called off its search for six people who were aboard a medical transport aircraft that went down in the Atlantic Ocean while traveling from Bermuda to Boston, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, who commands the Coast Guard's Northeast District, announced the difficult decision in a statement, acknowledging the weight of ending a rescue operation before all those missing have been found. "Suspending a search is not an easy decision," Lake said, reflecting the gravity of the moment for rescue teams and the families involved.

The search effort spanned approximately 66 hours and covered some 4,445 miles (7,150 kilometers) across both air and sea, according to officials. The extensive operation was mounted after the aircraft disappeared from radar and radio contact early Saturday morning.

The breakthrough that ultimately informed the decision to suspend the search came when teams confirmed that debris recovered near Nantucket Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, belonged to the missing aircraft. That discovery shifted the mission from an active rescue operation to a recovery effort, though no survivors have been located.

The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100, was operating as an air ambulance under the callsign Heartbeat 104. According to Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance, the jet was carrying two pilots, two medical staff members, a patient, and a relative of the patient.

Authorities have confirmed that the four crew members were Canadian citizens, while the two passengers were Bermudian. The patient had been picked up in Bermuda, and the aircraft was en route to Boston Logan International Airport when contact was lost.

In a statement released Sunday, Latitude Air Ambulance addressed the devastating outcome. "Given the information shared by authorities and the conclusion of the search-and-rescue phase, we must now face the heartbreaking reality that the four members of our Latitude team, our patient and the patient's family escort, who were aboard Heartbeat 104, are presumed to have died."

The company, which specializes in medical evacuation and repatriation flights, described its typical missions as being staffed by two pilots and medical personnel. Such operations are often lifelines for patients who require specialized care in distant locations or who need to be transported home from abroad.

The Federal Aviation Administration alerted the Coast Guard at approximately 2 a.m. on Saturday (06:00 GMT) after all contact with the jet was lost. The timing of the distress signal or loss of communication has raised questions about what may have occurred during the flight's final moments.

Flight-tracking data reviewed after the incident indicated a steep descent, and air traffic controllers reportedly struggled to re-establish contact with the aircraft. Those factors have drawn attention to the final minutes of the flight, though investigators have not yet determined a cause for the crash.

During a Sunday news conference, Rear Admiral Lake noted that the water in the area where the debris was found is between 80 and 90 feet (24 to 27 meters) deep. That depth could prove significant for any future recovery or investigative operations.

Lake also extended his condolences to the families of those on board and expressed gratitude to the various agencies that participated in the search. The multi-agency response involved coordination between the Coast Guard, the FAA, and other organizations.

The suspension of the search marks the end of the active rescue phase, but questions about the cause of the crash remain unanswered. The National Transportation Safety Board and other investigative bodies are expected to examine the flight data, maintenance records, and communication logs to piece together what happened.

Latitude Air Ambulance, based in Canada, has built its operations around medical evacuation and repatriation services, often transporting patients who cannot travel on commercial airlines due to their medical conditions. The loss of Heartbeat 104 represents not only a tragedy for the families of those on board but also a significant blow to the close-knit community of medical transport providers.

As authorities shift from rescue to investigation, the focus will likely turn to the final moments of the flight, the condition of the aircraft, and the circumstances that led to the steep descent recorded by tracking data. For now, the families of the six people on board are left to grieve as officials begin the long process of determining what caused the crash.