In a developing situation, a frantic search is currently underway for a missing American aircraft, which reportedly went down approximately 120 nautical miles east of St. John’s.

The alarm was raised when the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Halifax received a Garmin SOS notification along with an Emergency Locator Transmission at around 9:30 AM Newfoundland time.

The aircraft in question is a small single-engine pontoon plane carrying just one person. As rescue efforts ramp up, the Coast Guard, alongside a PAL aircraft, a Hercules from Greenwood, Nova Scotia, and a Cormorant helicopter from 9-Wing Gander, have all mobilized to locate the downed plane. Additionally, a few fishing vessels are participating in the search.

In a promising yet concerning update, a pontoon and an empty orange life raft were spotted floating in the search area, raising hopes but also highlighting the urgency of the situation.

However, search conditions are rapidly deteriorating. The area is experiencing a 300-foot ceiling with visibility decreasing to about 2 nautical miles, complicating rescue efforts even further.

The aircraft had departed St. John’s with plans to head for the Azores, but officials are actively verifying the accuracy of this flight plan as they continue their investigation into the situation.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest developments in this tense search operation!