Medical plane with 6 on board missing off Massachusetts coast
The aircraft lost communication with flight controllers after significantly dropping in altitude, according to flight data. US authorities are searching for six people after a medical plane bound for Boston, Massachusetts, went missing early Saturday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration told the BBC that it lost contact with the Gulfstream G-100 plane and put out a search-and-rescue notice just after 1:00 local time (6:00 GMT). An air and water search is underway off the coast of Nantucket, a Massachusetts island, according to the US Coast Guard's Northeast District.
The plane departed from Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport at 23:40 local time, according to flight data from Flight Aware, and was slated to land at Boston's Logan International at 1:30 EDT (6:30 GMT). According to the tail number released by the Coast Guard, the plane belonged to Latitude Air Ambulances, a company that provides international medical flights for patients returning home. Among those on board were two pilots and two medical staff, both Canadian, Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Latitude, told CBC News.
The crew flew to Bermuda to collect a patient and their relative, who are not Canadian, Togeretz said. Flight Aware's tracker shows the aircraft significantly dropped in altitude before its communications went dark, plummeting from around 7,300m (24,000ft) to 3,300m (11,000ft).
โก Effects Interpreter
๐World Economy
- โถInvestors abroad often reprice their bets when news like this lands.
- โถCross-border money flows can quietly change direction after events like this.
๐๏ธLocal Economy
- โถFamily budgets close to home might absorb a slight, slow-moving effect.
- โถThe knock-on for local trade is usually gradual rather than sudden.
๐ฆRates & Banks
- โถSavings accounts may see their rates nudged only after a broader trend emerges.
- โถCentral banks watch moments like this closely, so keep an eye on savings rates.
โค๏ธHealth
- โถLooking after mental health is worth it when headlines feel heavy.
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๐ทWealth
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- โถYour pension or investments might sway a touch as markets digest this.
๐ Housing
- โถLandlords and tenants alike rarely feel sudden shifts from a story like this.
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