Nantucket crash: Voice recorder recovered

Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and the upper third of the cockpit from a Gulfstream G100 that crashed off the Massachusetts coast last month. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada announced the recovery on Tuesday, noting that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Coast Guard assisted in the operation. Both items are being transported to the TSB's engineering laboratory in Ottawa for detailed analysis.

The air ambulance departed Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport on Oct. 3, carrying four crew members and two passengers on a nighttime flight to Massachusetts. The Federal Aviation Administration reported losing contact with the jet at 2 a.m. over the Atlantic Ocean. The crew subsequently reported electrical difficulties and declared an emergency while approaching the coast. Air traffic control audio released by LiveATC.net indicates the pilot was "coming in blind" as a storm approached.

Search operations covered more than 4,400 miles over 66 hours before authorities suspended the effort. Coast Guard crews, the New York National Guard's Air Rescue Wing, and Massachusetts authorities utilized fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, boats, and cutters to search the area. A debris field was located off the coast of Nantucket in water ranging from 80 to 90 feet deep.

Authorities identified the two Bermudian passengers as 66-year-old Marilyn Lavonne Bean and her 41-year-old son, Sergio Wayne Lottimore. The four Canadian crew members were identified as Philip Gregory Childerhose, Thomas Henry Farquhar, Sarah Jane Paton, and Jolene Beth Weir. Officials have not specified the reason for the flight. The National Transportation Safety Board in the United States is providing assistance to the Canadian-led investigation.

The recovery of the voice recorder and cockpit section marks the retrieval of critical evidence from the crash site. The TSB is currently processing the components in its Ottawa facility. The search for the six individuals on board remains suspended following the extensive maritime and aerial sweep.