The two passengers aboard an air ambulance that crashed in the waters off Massachusetts over the weekend while flying from Bermuda to Boston were identified Monday as a mother from Bermuda and her son.
Bermuda police said Marilyn Lavonne Bean, 66, and Sergio Wayne Lottimore, 41, both Bermudian nationals, were aboard a Gulfstream G100 along with four crew members when it went missing off Nantucket around 1 a.m. Saturday. Bermuda is about 750 to 780 miles (roughly 1,200 to 1,250 kilometers) southeast of Boston.
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Searchers later found a “debris field” off the coast of the island, but with no sign of the six people on board after a 66-hour search that spanned more than 4,400 miles (7,081 kilometers), the U.S. Coast Guard suspended rescue efforts Sunday.
“While we held out hope for the best, the worst fears have been realized," Bermuda Premier David Burt said in a statement. “Let us open our hearts to the families in the hope that our expressions of love, support and compassion will bring some comfort as they attempt to deal with this terrible loss.”
Warwick Academy, the school Lottimore attended in Bermuda, remembered him as a school prefect and an “ outstanding person.” Hamilton Re, the Bermuda insurance firm where he served as a senior vice president, said it had lost a “ respected leader, colleague and friend.”
The names of the plane's crew have not been released, but Latitude Air Ambulance, the Ontario-based company that owned the plane, said Sunday that its staff faces the “heartbreaking reality” that all aboard the plane are now presumed dead, even if they have not been officially declared dead.
“Our four crew members were valued members of the Latitude family,” the company said in a statement. “They dedicated themselves to providing care to people at some of the most difficult moments in their lives, and they were carrying out that mission when this tragedy occurred. We are grieving their loss deeply."
Peter Byl, president of Latitude Air Ambulance, said Monday the company's immediate focus was on supporting the victims' families and cooperating fully with authorities.
“We will not speculate about the circumstances or cause of the accident while that work is underway,” he wrote in an email.
The Canadian-registered jet had departed Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport on a nighttime flight to Massachusetts. Air traffic audio indicates that the plane may have been “coming in blind” as a storm loomed. The pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as the jet approached the coast.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it will send investigators in the coming days to assist in the search for and recovery of the aircraft. The agency said it is leading the investigation into the crash with assistance from its U.S. counterpart, the National Transportation Safety Board.
