The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a medical plane from Bermuda that went down this weekend.
Authorities have identified the six people aboard an air ambulance that disappeared off the Massachusetts coast during a flight from Bermuda to Boston early Saturday.
The U.S. Coast Guard said authorities searched more than 4,400 miles over a span of 66 hours for the four Canadians and two people from Bermuda who were on board.
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WATCH HEREThe Bermuda Police Service on Monday identified the two Bermudians as 66-year-old Marilyn Lavonne Bean and her son, 41-year-old Sergio Wayne Lottimore. Police didn't share what led the pair to take the flight.
Later, the Coast Guard shared the names of the Canadians who were on board: Philip Gregory Childerhose, Thomas Henry Farquhar, Sarah Jane Paton and Jolene Beth Weir.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Monday it will lead the investigation into the crash, given that the plane has been registered in Canada, with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board assisting.
The Coast Guard said it was assisting the Canadian investigation.
“During this incredibly difficult time, our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends impacted by this tragic incident,” said Rear Adm. Matthew Lake, Commander of the Coast Guard Northeast District, in a statement. “We are grateful to the crews and partner agencies who quickly responded to this incident, and we will continue to support our Canadian partners as they conduct their investigation.”
The Federal Aviation Administration contacted the Coast Guard at 2 a.m. Saturday that it had lost contact with the Gulfstream G100 carrying six people over the Atlantic Ocean. Searchers later Saturday found a “debris field” off the coast of Nantucket, Lake had said at a news conference on Sunday.
Coast Guard crews along with the New York National Guard’s Air Rescue Wing and Massachusetts authorities searched a vast area using fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, boats and cutters.
The depth of the water around the debris field was 80 to 90 feet.
The Canadian-registered air ambulance jet had four crew members and two passengers aboard when it departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport for the nighttime flight to Massachusetts, according to a statement from the Bermuda airport’s operator, Skyport.
Air traffic audio indicates that the plane may have been “coming in blind” when a storm loomed ahead shortly before it vanished.
The pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as the jet approached the coast, according to air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net. “Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” a controller can be heard asking the pilot.
That makes Mary Schiavo, who is a former Inspector General of the Transportation Department, think the plane may have lost its navigational instruments just as a storm moved across its path on radar. The plane also descended sharply from its cruising altitude of around 24,000 feet to around 10,000 feet, according to preliminary data from flight tracking site FlightRadar24.
“Something bad happened with this big drop, and they flew into this big storm. It’s a terrible place to have a loss of your instruments and be flying blind,” said Schiavo, who is an aviation attorney. “It’s very easy to get disoriented and not know if you’re turning, climbing, descending, etc.”
More crews are expected to continue searching on Monday, likely about 20 miles off the coast of Nantucket where the debris field was found. More information from officials is expected as the search continues.
AP Transportation Writer Josh Funk, Associated Press writer Amy Taxin and Associated Press reporter Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas, a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, contributed to this report. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
