US Coast Guard suspends search for missing victims of aircraft crash off Nantucket

“Given the information shared by authorities and the conclusion of the search and rescue phase, we must now face the heartbreaking reality that the four members of our Latitude team, our patient and the patient's family escort, who were aboard Heartbeat 104, are presumed to have died,” Latitude said in a statement on Sunday, October 4.

“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” said Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, Commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District. “We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and our gratitude for our partner agencies who helped support search efforts.”

The aircraft was a Gulfstream G100 registered as C-GRJP. The Federal Aviation Administration notified the coast guard at about 02:00 local time on Saturday that contact with the aircraft had been lost during the flight.

At Sunday's briefing, officials said the debris field was located roughly 20 miles (30 kilometres) south of Nantucket, where the water is about 80 to 90 feet (24 to 27 metres) deep.