The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a Hamilton-based air ambulance jet carrying six people that went missing off the coast of Nantucket early Saturday.
asserted
that → search → Nantucket
The jet C-GRJP is a Gulfstream G100 registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, based in Hamilton, Ont.
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jet → register → Hamilton
Latitude confirmed to the Star that the four crew on board are Canadian.
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crew → confirm → board
“We’re remaining optimistically positive.
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We → remain → ?
You might see it’s missing, but we’re just saying that we’ve lost communication with it,” said Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations for Latitude.
uncertain
Togeretz → see → Latitude
The flight “was an active medevac with a patient and family escort on board and four of our crew members, two pilots and two medical staff,” Togeretz said.
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Togeretz → say → members
The Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the flight early Saturday morning.
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Administration → lose → flight
According to the Coast Guard’s Northeastern District’s X account, air and surface crews have launched in search of the aircraft, which was travelling from Bermuda to Boston.
uncertain
which → accord → Boston
Togeretz said the flight lost contact around 1:30 a.m., about 20 minutes outside its destination, Boston’s Logan International Airport.
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flight → say → destination
He said he remains hopeful all aboard will be rescued.
asserted
all → say → ?
Togeretz noted flight records show the plane had to make a rapid descent, “but it looks like a stable descent and a stabilized flight after that, so we’re not sure exactly what happened after the lost communication.”
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what → note → communication
According to the company’s website, Latitude operates a fleet of four G100 aircraft.
uncertain
Latitude → accord → aircraft
The company says the planes are the longest-range dedicated medevac aircraft in North America, with a range of 5,000 km.
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planes → say → km
A typical flight includes a registered nurse and a registered respiratory therapist, with a physician included on some missions, the website says.
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website → include → missions
According to the website flightradar24.com, the Latitude jet’s previous flight was from Hamilton, Ont., to Bermuda on Friday evening.
uncertain
flight → accord → evening
Records from Flightradar24 show a pair of Coast Guard planes conducting an apparent search pattern about 10 kilometres south of Nantucket Island, which is itself about 50 kilometres off the U.S. mainland.
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which → show → mainland
Togeretz said the company is waiting for an update from the U.S. Coast Guard.
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company → say → Guard
“We haven’t heard anything yet,” he said.
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he → hear → anything
Air traffic recordings from the website liveatc.net from Saturday morning show the plane, which had the call sign Heartbeat 104, reported coming in “blind.”
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which → show → sign
In the audio, a New York-based controller indicates having trouble hearing the pilots, while asking if they were declaring an emergency.
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they → base → emergency
The controller can be heard repeatedly trying to contact the flight over several minutes.
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controller → hear → minutes
Latitude’s website says the company’s partners include the Ontario Ministry of Health and Ornge, which operates air ambulance service for the province.
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which → say → province
“Our thoughts are with our colleagues at Latitude Air Ambulance at this time,” Ornge said in a post on X.
“All of us at Ornge are hopeful the aircraft and all passengers are located safely and quickly.
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aircraft → say → Ornge
At 11:45 a.m. on Saturday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said on X that the search was ongoing, detailing that equipment including two aircraft, a helicopter, a search-and-rescue lifeboat, and a Coast Guard cutter, were involved in the rescue efforts.
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equipment → say → efforts
Timeline of the flight
All times converted to EDT.
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times → convert → EDT
The Gulfstream G100 jet C-GRJP departs Hamilton, Ont., for Bermuda, arriving at 10:45 p.m.
11:42 p.m.
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jet → depart → p.m.
— The jet departs Bermuda’s L.F. Ward Airport, with a scheduled two-and-a-half-hour flight time to Boston’s Logan International Airport.
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jet → depart → Airport
The medevac flight is carrying four Canadian employees of Latitude Air Ambulance, including two pilots and two medical staff, as well as a patient and an accompanying passenger.
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flight → carry → pilots
Saturday, 1:05 a.m. — Data from the website flightaware.com shows the jet descending about 11,000 feet before resuming stable flight.
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jet → show → flight
Around 1:10 a.m. — Pilots contact air traffic control.
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Pilots → contact → control
In recordings, a controller says he is having problems hearing the pilots and repeatedly asks if they are declaring an emergency.
asserted
they → say → emergency
Around 1:30 a.m. — The U.S. FAA loses contact with the plane about 20 minutes from its destination.
asserted
FAA → lose → destination
6:20 a.m. — The U.S. Coast Guard says it is searching for the jet south of Nantucket Island.
asserted
it → say → Island
11:45 a.m. — The Coast Guard says the search is ongoing, involving two aircraft, a helicopter, a search-and-rescue lifeboat, and a Coast Guard cutter.
asserted
search → say → aircraft
The Aporia
