The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a medical plane that went missing off of Nantucket with six aboard. Herald file photo
PUBLISHED: October 3, 2026 at 4:40 PM EDT | UPDATED: October 3, 2026 at 11:12 PM EDT
A Boston-bound medical plane carrying six people suffered a terrifying “one-two punch” as it lost contact with air traffic control before vanishing off the coast of Nantucket, a leading aviation expert tells the Herald.
Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said flight tracking data reveals a harrowing struggle in the minutes before contact went dark early Saturday morning. Hours later into the night, searchers found a “debris field” off the coast of Nantucket.
The Latitude Air Ambulance flight was cruising on autopilot before an initial failure caused its speed to deteriorate and surge, triggering a “precipitous drop” from 24,000 feet, Schiavo told the Herald.
The crew then managed to level the plane off at 11,000 feet and steady its speed, she added, appearing to regain control – only to fly straight into the heart of an intense storm front churning off the Nantucket coast.
“They had a dire one-two punch,” Schiavo said. “Whatever happened caused the precipitous drop, and as soon as they got it stabilized at 11,000 feet, boom, they hit this weather front that was moving through.”
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Saturday afternoon that its Northeast District is frantically searching the waters off Nantucket for the Gulfstream G100 aircraft, which declared an emergency with New York Center Air Traffic Control before it plunged amid an apparent total electrical failure.
The Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard at about 2 a.m. that contact had been lost with the aircraft operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, a medical plane provider based at Hamilton International Airport in Ontario, Canada, according to records.
While weather conditions on Nantucket were clear early Saturday morning, an intense storm system swirled directly along the projected flight path of the missing plane, according to National Weather Service radar data.
Schiavo added that investigators will take a close look at what air traffic control told the flight crew, noting that initial weather reports showed clear conditions with eight miles of visibility.
“They are working on a very tight deadline; they’re trying to get a patient to care,” Schiavo said of what it’s like inside an air ambulance. “They also don’t often have all of the advantages of regularly scheduled airline service.”
“Sometimes, they don’t have the great in-house meteorology,” she added. “Airlines have their own meteorologist, flight planners; they have a lot of resources that on-demand operators don’t.”
Nantucket Memorial Airport is aware of the missing plane and was informed that the aircraft “reportedly declared an emergency prior to the loss of contact.”
Airport Manager Preston Harimon added in a statement that details “remain unconfirmed.”
“Nantucket Memorial Airport will not speculate on the cause of the event,” Harimon stated, “and will defer all operational and investigative information to the appropriate federal authorities. Search efforts continued overnight and remain ongoing.”
The CBC has reported that Latitude Air Ambulance lost contact with the plane around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the company’s director of flight operations, Clarence Togeretz.
The six individuals aboard the air ambulance included two pilots and two medical staff – all of whom are Canadian – and a patient and a relative who are not Canadian and were picked up in Bermuda, Togeretz told CBC.
“We’re praying for a safe outcome,” Togeretz said.
Bermuda Premier David Burt said in a statement that his government has been in contact with the families of those on board and with the U.S. Coast Guard.
“My thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time,” Burt said. “We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing efforts.”
Coast Guard assets responding to the search include crews in two aircraft, a helicopter, a lifeboat and the William Sparling, a Boston-based Fast Response Cutter.
Emergency Health Services, a branch of the Nova Scotia Department of Health, stated in a Facebook post, “Our thoughts are with our colleagues at Latitude Air Ambulance, their crew, their families and everyone affected during this difficult time.”
Latitude Air Ambulance touts on its website how it has returned “patients and loved ones back to their families at home since 2009,” as it has completed “Thousands of successful missions with a flawless safety record…”
“Our team endeavours to provide the highest level of safety standards and risk assessment within medical, flight, and maintenance operations,” the company states. “We are proud of our unblemished record, noted by our governing body, Transport Canada.”
In this photo released by U.S. Coast Guard, crew members search by air and on the water for a Boston-bound air ambulance that vanished off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
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