Cockpit Recovery and Investigation Updates
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has recovered the upper third of the cockpit from the Hamilton-based Latitude Air Ambulance that crashed south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing six people. In an update issued Monday, the agency confirmed that the recovery operation successfully retrieved the cockpit and its voice recorder following the October 3 crash.
The aircraft left Bermuda on October 3 carrying four Canadians and two Bermudians. As the air ambulance approached the Boston area, the crew reported electrical difficulties. The plane descended rapidly, and contact with air traffic control was lost south of Nantucket, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
The six victims included four crew members employed by the Ontario-based Latitude Air Ambulance: Philip Gregory Childerhose, Thomas Henry Farquhar, Sarah Jane Paton, and Jolene Beth Weir, all living in southern Ontario. The two passengers were Marilyn Lavonne Bean, 66, and her son, Sergio Wayne Lottimore, 41.
Laboratory Examination of Flight Recorder
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada stated that the recovered cockpit and voice recorder will be transported to the board’s engineering laboratory in Ottawa for further examination. Last month, Liam MacDonald, media relations coordinator for the Transportation Safety Board, described the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder as key elements to determining the cause of the accident, though the flight data recorder was not mentioned in Monday’s update.
The investigation by safety authorities remains ongoing as engineers begin analyzing the recovered equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the recovered cockpit being taken for analysis?
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is moving the cockpit and its voice recorder to the board’s engineering laboratory in Ottawa for further examination.
When did the air ambulance flight depart and who was on board?
The Latitude Air Ambulance flight left Bermuda on October 3 carrying four Canadian crew members—Philip Gregory Childerhose, Thomas Henry Farquhar, Sarah Jane Paton, and Jolene Beth Weir—along with two Bermudian passengers, Marilyn Lavonne Bean and Sergio Wayne Lottimore.
What issues did the flight crew report before the crash?
The crew reported electrical difficulties while approaching Boston, which preceded a rapid descent and the eventual loss of contact with air traffic control south of Nantucket.
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