ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A plane transporting ten individuals vanished over Alaska’s Norton Sound on Thursday afternoon, prompting an extensive search operation that continued into the night.
The Bering Air Caravan was en route from Unalakleet to Nome, carrying a pilot and nine passengers, as reported by the state’s Department of Public Safety. Efforts are underway to ascertain the aircraft’s last confirmed location.
Unalakleet, which has a population of roughly 690, is situated in western Alaska, approximately 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Nome and around 395 miles (640 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage.
This incident is the third significant aviation occurrence in the United States within a span of eight days. A collision between a commercial airplane and an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital resulted in the tragic deaths of 67 individuals on January 29. Just two days later, a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia, claiming the lives of six people on board as well as another individual on the ground.
The Cessna Caravan departed from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., but contact was lost with the aircraft less than an hour later, according to David Olson, Bering Air’s director of operations. The U.S. Coast Guard indicated that the plane was 12 miles (19 kilometers) off the coast when communication ceased.
“Bering Air staff are diligently working to collect information, activate emergency services, and coordinate search and rescue efforts,” stated Olson.
Bering Air operates flights to 32 remote villages across western Alaska, using Nome, Kotzebue, and Unalakleet as its hubs. Most locations receive daily flights at least twice a day from Monday to Saturday. In many cases, air travel is the only viable transportation method in rural Alaska, especially during the winter months.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department shared on social media that ground search teams are scouring the coastline from Nome to Topkok.
“Due to prevailing weather conditions and limited visibility, we are currently restricted in our aerial search capabilities,” the department conveyed. They also advised against self-organized search efforts due to hazardous weather conditions.
A U.S. Coast Guard aircraft was scheduled to scour the last known position of the missing plane. Additional assistance is being provided by the National Guard and state troopers, as reported by the fire department.
At the time of the plane’s departure, temperatures in Unalakleet were around 17 degrees Fahrenheit (-8.3 degrees Celsius), accompanied by light snowfall and fog, according to the National Weather Service.
No information has yet been released regarding the identities of the individuals aboard the aircraft. Nome, famously known as a Gold Rush town, is located just south of the Arctic Circle and serves as the finish line for the renowned 1,000-mile (1,610-kilometer) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
