Searchers find 'debris field' believed to be from missing air ambulance

NANTUCKET (AP) - Searchers found a “debris field” off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, which they believe is from an air ambulance that was carrying six people when it vanished over the Atlantic on Saturday, the United States Coast Guard has revealed.

The plane was heading from Bermuda to Boston.

The US Coast Guard says four Canadians and two Bermudian nationals were aboard and their next of kin have already been notified.

It disclosed, too, that one of its cutters would continue searching the ocean.

The Coast Guard says the Federal Aviation Administration reported that the Gulfstream G100 lost contact with air traffic controllers early Saturday.

Air traffic control audio posted online revealed that the pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as the plane approached the coast.

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

Mary Schiavo, a former Inspector General of the Transportation Department, believes the plane may have lost its navigational instruments just as a storm moved across its path on radar.

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.

“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, who is an aviation attorney.

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

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