A medical transfer aircraft carrying six people from Bermuda to Boston has gone missing off the coast of Nantucket, an island in the US state of Massachusetts, triggering a large air and sea search by the US Coast Guard, according to the New York Post.

The Gulfstream G100, owned by Latitude Air Ambulance, lost contact with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before its scheduled landing at Boston Logan International Airport at 1:25 am local time on Saturday. It had taken off from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda, a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic.

The FAA confirmed six people were on board, four crew members and two passengers, according to a statement from L.F. Wade International Airport. Toronto's City News reported that four of those on board were Canadian nationals and two were Bermudians.

According to flight tracking data from FlightAware, the aircraft dropped from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in just three minutes, starting at 1:04 am.

The FAA said it issued a Search and Rescue Alert Notice for the aircraft at around 1:20 am and is coordinating with the Rescue Coordination Center and the US Coast Guard to locate it. The Coast Guard said it was alerted by the FAA at about 2 am.

The Coast Guard said the search area is offshore of Nantucket. It has deployed an HC-144 aircraft and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod, a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Brant Point, and a fast response cutter, USCGC William Sparling. An HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station Elizabeth City has also joined the search.

"The Coast Guard will continue searching and provide additional information as it becomes available," the agency said.

A spokesperson for Latitude Air Ambulance told City News, "We are praying for a safe outcome."

A Massport spokesperson, whose agency operates Logan Airport, confirmed the flight did not arrive as scheduled and expressed sympathy for those on board and their families.

Bermuda's Premier David Burt also offered condolences and promised assistance in the search and rescue efforts. "We are praying that all six people will be found safe," he said in a statement.

The Gulfstream G100 is a small twin-engine business jet often used for air ambulance flights. The cause of the incident is not yet known.

Source: New York Post