US Coast Guard Suspends Search for Six People Following Medical Jet Crash Off Nantucket

The United States coastguard has officially suspended its search for six individuals aboard a medical transport jet that crashed during a flight from Bermuda to Boston.

“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, commander of the coastguard’s Northeast District, stated on Sunday.

Rescue teams called off the operation after spending approximately 66 hours covering 4,445 miles (7,150km) across both air and sea. The decision came after authorities confirmed that debris discovered off the coast of Massachusetts’s Nantucket Island originated from the missing aircraft.

The Gulfstream G100 was carrying two pilots, two medical staff, a patient, and a relative, according to Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at the Canada-based Latitude Air Ambulance. Authorities confirmed that the four crew members were Canadian, while the two passengers were Bermudian.

In a Sunday statement, Latitude Air Ambulance expressed its grief: “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.”

Investigators are now focusing on the aircraft's final moments. Flight-tracking data indicated a steep descent, and air traffic controllers struggled to re-establish contact with the jet. The exact cause of the crash remains undetermined.

The aircraft had traveled to Bermuda to pick up a patient and was en route to Boston Logan International airport. The US Federal Aviation Administration first alerted the coastguard around 2am on Saturday (06:00 GMT) after losing contact with the flight.

Rear Admiral Matthew Lake noted during a Sunday news conference that the water surrounding the debris field is approximately 80 to 90 feet (24-27 metres) deep. He extended condolences to the families of those on board and expressed gratitude to all agencies that participated in the rescue operation.

Latitude Air Ambulance focuses on medical evacuation and repatriation missions, providing transportation for patients returning home from foreign countries. The company operates its flights with a standard crew consisting of two pilots and dedicated medical personnel.