Full Breakdown
Gulfstream G100 Medical Flight Missing off Nantucket
By Drooid · · How we work
Background & Context
A Gulfstream G100 air-ambulance operated by Latitude Air Ambulance departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda for Boston’s Logan International Airport at about 12:41 a.m. on October 3, 2026. Tail-number C-GRJP carried six occupants: four Canadian crew members (two pilots, two medical staff) and two Bermudian passengers—a patient and a family escort. The flight was expected to arrive around 1:30 a.m. local time.
Timeline of Events
- ?12:41 a.m., Oct 3 – Aircraft departs Bermuda.
- ?2:00 a.m. – FAA notifies the U.S. Coast Guard of lost contact.
- Oct 3 – Coast Guard Northeast District, led by Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, launches a multi-agency search using aircraft, helicopters, cutters and National Guard assets.
- Late Oct 3 – A debris field is located about 20 mi off Nantucket Island in water 80–90 ft deep.
- Oct 4 – After roughly 66 hours and more than 4,400 mi of air- and sea-search, the Coast Guard suspends the operation and presumes all six aboard deceased.
Data & Statistics
- Occupants: 6 (4 Canadians, 2 Bermudians)
- Search area: reports vary between 1,644 sq mi in 27 hours and 4,400 mi in 66 hours.
- Water depth at debris field: 80–90 ft (?24–27 m).
- Altitude change: flight-tracking data showed a rapid descent from 24,000 ft to roughly 11,000 ft (some sources note a 13,000-ft drop) within minutes before contact was lost.
Official Statements & Responses
Latitude Air Ambulance stated that, given the information from authorities, the six people on board are presumed dead. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon of Canada said his department was monitoring the situation and cooperating with U.S. authorities. Bermuda Premier David Burt offered thoughts and prayers and thanked rescue crews. Massachusetts officials confirmed the water depth and coordination with sonar-equipped vessels, noting no flight recorder had been recovered.
Verbatim Quote
- “Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” — Rear-Admiral Matthew Lake
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the total distance searched (1,644 sq mi vs. 4,400 mi) and the exact altitude at which the aircraft began its final descent (11,000 ft vs. a 13,000-ft drop). No definitive cause for the loss of contact has been established; audio recordings show the pilot was asked whether the aircraft was “coming in blind” and later declared an emergency, but the response was not captured. The black box has not been located, and investigators have not released a formal analysis.
Why It Matters
The incident underscores the challenges of long-range medical-evacuation flights over oceanic routes and the importance of international coordination in search-and-rescue operations. The presumed loss of all six occupants highlights the human cost and prompts scrutiny of safety protocols for air-ambulance services operating across borders.