JUNEAU, Alaska — In a tragic incident that marks one of the worst plane crashes in Alaska in 25 years, authorities discovered 10 victims dead in western Alaska. Their remains and the wreckage of the small commuter plane needed to be recovered promptly from unstable sea ice as high winds and snow were forecasted.
Jim West, the chief of the Nome Volunteer Fire Department, emphasized the urgency of the situation on Friday, noting, “The conditions out there are dynamic, so we’ve got to do it safely in the fastest way we can.” The Bering Air single-engine turboprop was en route from Unalakleet to Nome when it vanished on Thursday afternoon. An extensive search led to its discovery the following day, with all nine passengers and the pilot confirmed dead.
As the affected community grappled with this devastating loss, recovery teams began working quickly on the precarious, slushy sea ice in hopes of retrieving the bodies and wreckage before the weather worsened. A Black Hawk helicopter was prepared to assist in moving the aircraft once the bodies had been recovered.
Two of the deceased have been identified as Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, who had traveled to Unalakleet to repair critical equipment for the community’s water facility, as confirmed by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. David Beveridge, vice president of the organization, remarked on the loss by stating, “These two members of our team lost their lives serving others. The loss of these two incredible individuals and everyone else on board the plane will be felt all over Alaska.”
Details about the other victims have not yet been disclosed. All 10 individuals onboard were adults, and the flight was part of the routine commuter schedule, according to Lt. Ben Endres from the Alaska State Troopers.
Images released by the Coast Guard depicted the shattered fuselage of the plane strewn across the sea ice, with recovery personnel clad in bright emergency gear working around the wreckage. “It’s hard to accept the reality of our loss,” U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski expressed during a press briefing.
Emotionally, Nome Mayor John Handeland remarked on the community’s strength and resilience during such times of adversity, stating, “Nome is a strong community, and in challenging times we come together and support each other. I expect the outpouring of support to continue in the coming days as we all work to recover from this tragic incident.”
The Cessna Caravan departed Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. on Thursday, with officials losing contact less than an hour later, according to David Olson, Bering Air’s director of operations. The weather conditions included light snow and fog, with temperatures around 17 degrees Fahrenheit (about minus 8.3 degrees Celsius), as reported by the National Weather Service. The aircraft was last known to be located approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Nome.
Radar data from the U.S. Civil Air Patrol suggested that at around 3:18 p.m., the plane experienced a significant event that resulted in a rapid descent and loss of speed, although Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin McIntyre-Coble refrained from speculating on the nature of that event. Notably, there were no distress signals received from the aircraft, which is typically equipped with an emergency locating transmitter that activates upon contact with seawater to send signals to satellites.
As rescuers were searching the last known vicinity of the aircraft by helicopter, the wreckage was eventually located, prompting further investigation by two rescue swimmers dispatched to the site, according to Mike Salerno of the U.S. Coast Guard. Numerous local, state, and federal agencies participated in the search efforts, scouring ice-laden waters and extensive stretches of frozen terrain.
The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of nine individuals to the crash site from various states to assist in the investigation. The significance of flying in Alaska cannot be underestimated, as it serves as a critical transportation method due to the remote nature of many communities not linked to the main road network.
In this region, it is common for high school sports teams to fly for competitions, and various supplies are transported to remote locations either via air or barge. This accident represents the third significant aviation disaster in the U.S. within just over a week, following a fatal collision between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., and another crash involving a medical transport plane in Philadelphia.
Bering Air connects 32 villages within western Alaska from hubs in Nome, Kotzebue, and Unalakleet, with most destinations receiving regular flights multiple times a week. Unalakleet, home to around 690 residents, is located about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Nome and 395 miles (640 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage, while Nome itself is known for its historical significance during the Gold Rush and as the conclusion point of the famous Iditarod sled dog race. In light of the tragedy, prayer vigils were arranged in Nome to honor those lost in the crash and to support their grieving friends and family.
