A medical flight carrying six people went missing off the coast of Massachusetts early Saturday morning after losing both radio and radar contact mid-flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the US Coast Guard initiated search operations by air and sea near Nantucket Island shortly after contact was lost around 1:00 AM local time.
According to FlightAware tracking data, the Gulfstream G-100 aircraft operated by Latitude Air Ambulance departed LF Wade International Airport in Bermuda at 11:40 PM and was scheduled to land at Boston Logan International Airport.
Latitude's flight operations director Clarence Tobereitz confirmed that the occupants included two Canadian pilots, two Canadian medical crew members, an international patient, and a relative.
Flight tracking logs revealed that the aircraft unexpectedly plummeted from an altitude of 24,000 feet down to 11,000 feet prior to disappearing.
Radio traffic recorded by LiveATC.net indicated severe communication issues between air traffic control and the cockpit. The pilot successfully declared an emergency due to electrical failure shortly before all radio and radar signals ceased completely.