U.S. Coast Guard identifies all six aboard missing Canadian air ambulance

The U.S. Coast Guard has identified the six people who were on board the medical transport aircraft that went missing off the coast of Massachusetts with six people on board.

A news release from the coast guard says the two Bermudians aboard the Gulfstream jet were Marilyn Lavonne Bean and Sergio Wayne Lottimore.

The four Canadian crew, employed by Ontario-based Latitude Air Ambulance, were Philip Gregory Childerhose, Thomas Henry Farquhar, Sarah Jane Paton and Jolene Beth Weir.

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board says it’s leading the investigation after the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search.

The incident on Saturday involved a Gulfstream G100 aircraft owned by Latitude Air Ambulance.

The medical evacuation jet was carrying a patient, their family member and four Canadian crew members when it lost contact off the coast of Nantucket.

A coast guard statement released Sunday said it and other agencies searched more than 7,000 kilometres for the plane that went missing Saturday.

“The aircraft departed Bermuda with six occupants and was approaching the Boston area when the crew reported electrical difficulties,” the TSB said in a statement Monday afternoon.

The aircraft then descended rapidly and lost contact with air traffic control south of Nantucket, according to the TSB.

Coast guard officials earlier told reporters that a debris field was found about 32 kilometres off the island of Nantucket, in waters approximately 24 to 27 metres deep, which was confirmed to be from the missing Canadian air ambulance jet.

According to air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net, the pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as the jet approached the coast.

“Roger, you said you’re coming in blind. Is that what you said?” a controller can be heard asking the pilot.

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.

Rear Admiral Matthew Lake said in the coast guard statement that suspending a search was not an easy decision and offered his condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy.

The coast guard search began around 2 a.m. Saturday after they were notified the Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the plane as it flew from Bermuda to Boston.

Latitude Air Ambulance is based in Hamilton, Ont.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said she was “heartbroken” over the incident.

“I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of life involving a Latitude Air Ambulance flight,” she said a social media post. “My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of those who were aboard, and to the entire Latitude team as they mourn the loss of their colleagues and friends.

Latitude Air, in a statement late Sunday, said it faces a “heartbreaking reality” that all six people are presumed dead.

“Our four crew members were valued members of the Latitude family. They dedicated themselves to providing care to people at some of the most difficult moments in their lives, and they were carrying out that mission when this tragedy occurred,” the statement says.

“We are grieving their loss deeply and will continue to support their families and our employees through the difficult days ahead.”

The company said it was co-operating with authorities and asked for privacy for the families involved.

Lt.-Cmdr. Kastriot Kastrati from the coast guard earlier told reporters that he couldn’t provide details about the debris that was recovered. Lake said the coast guard was working with Massachusetts authorities to get sonar-equipped craft to search the sea floor around the debris field.

Lake said search efforts were being aided by fixed-wing aircraft, boats and a helicopter, and that next of kin for the six missing people were being updated as the search continued.

He said a black box, a recording device found in airplanes used to investigate accidents, has yet to be recovered.

Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, told Global News there are a lot of clues on what may have occurred.

“The pilot was able to communicate with Boston Air Traffic Control that they had an electrical emergency, that they were coming in blind … they were coming in without the instruments that almost every pilot must have to bring the plane in safely and get it on the ground,” Schiavo said.

“So, a dire emergency indeed.”

She went on to say secondary radar showed the plane turned several times.

“That may indicate either that the pilots could not properly turn or control the plane or that there was some disorientation,” she said.

Schiavo added that the reported wide debris field suggests the plane hit the water at a high speed, saying it’s “literally like hitting concrete.”

“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, an aviation attorney. “It’s very easy to get disoriented and not know if you’re turning, climbing, descending, etc.”

Latitude Air Ambulance offers emergency medical transportation by plane worldwide, according to its website. Operations manager Clarence Togeretz told The Canadian Press on Saturday that this was the first time the company lost contact with one of its planes.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on social media before the search was suspended that she was “deeply concerned” by the disappearance of the air ambulance.

“My thoughts are with everyone on board and their loved ones. I thank the U.S. Coast Guard and all those involved in the search and rescue efforts for their tireless work,” Anand wrote.

She said Global Affairs consular officials were in contact with the relevant authorities.

—with files from The Canadian Press