The Bermuda Triangle has returned to haunting and mysterious territory. Another plane has disappeared from US radar.
American media reports that a large search and rescue operation is underway off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the USA, to find a Gulfstream G100 aircraft, with six people on board, which lost contact with radar during a flight from Bermuda to Boston.
According to US media, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lost contact with the plane in the early hours of Saturday morning, shortly before its arrival at its destination.
After contact was lost, the search and rescue alarm was activated and the US Coast Guard was also involved in the operation.
The plane had departed from LF Wade International Airport in Bermuda, bound for Boston’s Logan International Airport. According to US authorities, there were six people on board.
The plane lost altitude rapidly.
According to flight tracking data, cited by US media, the Gulfstream G100 was at an altitude of around 23,500 feet when shortly after 01:00 it began to lose altitude rapidly.
Within about three minutes, the plane reportedly descended to about 11,000 feet.
The last recorded signal was detected shortly before the plane was expected to land in Boston.
It is not yet known what caused the loss of communication and authorities have not confirmed whether the plane crashed.
The search is focused on the marine area near Nantucket, an island southeast of Massachusetts.
Searching for planes, helicopters and naval vessels
The US Coast Guard immediately deployed air and naval assets to search for the plane.
Planes and helicopters from Air Station Cape Cod, a rescue vessel from Brant Point Station, and a Coast Guard fast patrol boat are participating in the operation.
“Coast Guard air and naval teams are engaged in the search for the aircraft,” the institution announced, confirming that the operation is taking place off the coast of Nantucket.
The plane was used for medical transport.
The Gulfstream G100 was allegedly used for air medical transport and was affiliated with the Canadian company Latitude Air Ambulance, which transports patients in need of specialized medical care.
However, it is not known whether a patient was being transported on this flight.
Authorities have also not yet released the identities or information about the six people on board.
The Gulfstream G100 is a twin-engine business jet, which is also used for special missions, including medical transport.
The FAA has stated that it is cooperating with the relevant Rescue Coordination Center and the Coast Guard.
Authorities are expected to provide new information as the investigation continues.