Search called off for six passengers on board Ontario air ambulance that went missing off U.S. coast - Toronto Star

The plane went missing early Saturday carrying four staff and crew from the GTA and Hamilton areas, along with a patient and family escort.

U.S. Coast Guard search by air and water off the coast of Nantucket, Mass., for survivors of a Latitude Air Ambulance jet that went missing early Saturday morning. 

The U.S. Coast Guard has called off its search of the Atlantic Ocean off Massachusetts for six people, including four from southern Ontario, who were on a Hamilton-based medical jet that went missing early Saturday morning.

In a social media post Sunday evening, the Coast Guard said it has “suspended the search for the people aboard the medical transport aircraft that went missing around 2 a.m. Saturday, as of sunset, after 66 hours of continuous searching by the Coast Guard and partner agencies.”

“We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones.”

Earlier Sunday, authorities had said they planned to use sonar to comb the seabed floor, at a depth of 24 to 27 metres, where a field of debris from the Latitude Air Ambulance, spanning roughly 30 metres, was discovered Saturday off the coast of Nantucket, about 160 kilometres short of the Bermuda-to-Boston flight’s planned destination.

Hamilton-based Latitude has said the Gulfstream G100 jet medevac flight carried two pilots and two medical staff, all from the Hamilton and Greater Toronto areas, as well as two Bermudians — the patient and their escort.

A Latitude spokesperson told the Star on Sunday evening that company staff, many of whom rushed to the office and worked overnight Saturday, are in contact with family members of the crew and are planning to release more details.

The flight with the call sign “Heartbeat 104” left Bermuda at 11:42 p.m. Friday, reported apparent problems at 12:46 a.m. Saturday as they approached Nantucket, telling air traffic control they were “coming in blind,” according to audio posted online.

“Roger, you said you’re coming in blind, is that what you said?” a New York-based air traffic controller asks, according to recordings from the website liveatc.net. “Are you declaring an emergency or no?”

After the crew failed to respond and the plane left radar, the U.S. Coast Guard launched a major search and rescue mission.

Late Sunday morning, authorities told reporters at Coast Guard Base Boston that, in addition to searching the seabed, crews in boats and aircraft continued to scour the ocean and shore for any traces of the jet and its occupants.

“At this point, we are still conducting a search for the missing personnel,” said Rear Admiral Matt Lake. “I want you to know that my thoughts, and those of every Coast Guard crew member, are with the families on that aircraft, are with people on that aircraft. Their families, their friends, and their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”

A search pattern conducted by a U.S. Coast Guard airplane.

A search remains ongoing off the Massachusetts coast for an air ambulance carrying six people that disappeared during a flight from Bermuda to Boston. A “debris field” was found later Saturday off the coast of Nantucket, the Coast Guard said. (Oct. 4, 2026)

Officials said found debris has been secured for further investigation, but the jet’s black box recorder had not been recovered. 

Hamilton-based Latitude Air Ambulance’s Gulfstream G100 jets. The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for jet C-GRJP, second from the bottom. 

“We hope that (a news) release will come soon.”

The missing Gulfstream G100 jet is operated by Latitude Air Ambulance in Hamilton. It was was travelling from Bermuda to Boston carrying two pilots, two medical staff, a patient and a family escort when it disappeared off the coast of Nantucket early Saturday morning.

After its departure from Bermuda, FlightAware data shows the plane climbing for 10 minutes to 24,000 feet, at 11:51 p.m., and remaining at that altitude until 1:04 a.m. The jet then apparently quickly descends to 11,000 feet and continues there until it disappears.

With files from The Associated Press.

Raju Mudhar is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering breaking news. Reach him via email: rmudhar@thestar.ca

David Rider is a Toronto-based senior politics reporter for the Star. Follow him on X: @dmrider.