Six presumed dead after Latitude Air Ambulance G100 lost off US coast

Six people aboard a Latitude Air Ambulance Gulfstream G100 are presumed to have died after the aircraft was lost while conducting a medical repatriation flight from Bermuda to Boston, Massachusetts.  

The US Coast Guard suspended its search at sunset on 4 October after 66 hours of continuous operations covering 4,445 miles. An extensive debris field from the aircraft had been located approximately 20 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. 

Four members of the Latitude Air Ambulance team – two pilots and two medical crew – were aboard the aircraft, alongside a patient and the patient’s family escort. 

Following the suspension of search-and-rescue operations, Latitude Air Ambulance said: “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.” 

Latitude President Peter Byl described the incident as “an unimaginable loss for our Latitude family and for everyone who loved the six people aboard Heartbeat 104”. 

The Canadian-registered Gulfstream G100, C-GRJP, was operating as Heartbeat 104 and had departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda for Boston Logan International Airport early on 3 October. 

The US Coast Guard deployed extensive air and maritime resources during the search, including HC-144 Ocean Sentry and HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, boats and cutters, as well as HH-60 helicopters and an HC-130 from the New York Air National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing. 

“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” said Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, Commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District. “We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and our gratitude for our partner agencies who helped support search efforts.” 

Investigation and recovery 

The operation has now moved towards recovery, with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), and other authorities expected to investigate the loss of the aircraft. 

Air traffic control recordings indicate that the crew experienced electrical and communication difficulties before contact was lost and an emergency was declared. However, the cause of the accident has not been established. 

Latitude said it would cooperate fully with investigators and cautioned against speculation while authorities work to establish what happened during the final stages of the flight. 

Recovery of the aircraft and examination of the debris will form part of that process.