U.S. Coast Guard to give update on missing Ontario air ambulance after 'debris field' discovered

U.S. Coast Guard to give update on missing Ontario air ambulance after 'debris field' discovered

Air traffic controller heard asking pilots if they were in an emergency, 'coming in blind' in ATC audio

U.S. Coast Guard officials are expected to provide an update Sunday morning on the search for an Ontario air ambulance jet that went missing off the Nantucket, Mass.

Search crews discovered "a debris field" that is confirmed to be from the missing aircraft, the Coast Guard said in a news release on Saturday. But it said the search for the six people on board — four Canadians and two Bermudians —continued into the night.

The coast guard will update the public on the search during a news conference at 11 a.m. ET Sunday from its base in Boston.

The Gulfstream G100 jet had taken off from Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport at 11:41 p.m. ET Friday and was scheduled to land at Boston Logan International Airport around 1:30 a.m. ET Saturday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told CBC News.

The jet C-GRJP is registered to Latitude Air Ambulance, an Ontario-based company that operates out of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport.

The coast guard said it had searched over 4,250 square kilometres about 27 hours into the search.

Several teams deployed in U.S. Coast Guard's search for missing air ambulance jet

Air traffic asked jet if they're 'coming in blind': ATC audio

Shortly after 12:30 a.m. ET, an air traffic controller at a New York control centre can be heard speaking to the pilots on the jet through audio on LiveATC.net, a website that shares air traffic communications.

"Roger, you said you're coming in blind. Is that what you said?" the controller asked the pilot, who was not heard in the audio recordings.

He continued to ask the pilots to confirm if they were having an emergency: "You're coming in a little weak. I didn't hear your response if you were declaring an emergency or not."

4 Canadians aboard missing Ontario-based air ambulance flying from Bermuda

U.S. Coast Guard to give update on missing Ontario air ambulance that had 6 on board

The controller is heard again asking the pilots for confirmation and then responding, "OK."

Moments later, the air traffic controller tries repeatedly to reach out to the jet, but does not appear to get a response back. He requests other aircraft in the area to see if they can contact the jet, but receives a negative response.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she was "deeply concerned" by the disappearance of the aircraft "with Canadians among those on board."

Anand said Global Affairs Canada consular officials are in contact with the relevant authorities as search and rescue efforts continue.

"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," she wrote, in a Sunday morning post on X.