ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Search and rescue teams are actively seeking a missing aircraft carrying ten individuals over Norton Sound in western Alaska, south of the Arctic Circle.
The aircraft, a Bering Air Caravan single-engine turboprop, departed from Unalakleet en route to Nome on Thursday afternoon. Nine passengers and the pilot were aboard, according to Alaska’s Department of Public Safety. Authorities are currently working to pinpoint the plane’s last known location.
Unalakleet, a western Alaskan community with approximately 690 residents, is situated roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Nome and 395 miles (640 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage.
This incident marks the third significant U.S. aviation accident within eight days. A collision between a commercial airliner and an Army helicopter near Washington D.C. on January 29 resulted in 67 fatalities. Additionally, a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, claiming the lives of seven people (six on board and one on the ground).
The Cessna Caravan took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. and contact was lost less than an hour later, according to Bering Air’s director of operations, David Olson. The Coast Guard reported the aircraft was 12 miles (19 kilometers) offshore when contact was lost. The airline confirmed the plane was at maximum passenger capacity.
“Bering Air staff are diligently working to gather information, secure emergency aid, and initiate search and rescue efforts,” Olson stated.
Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska, operating from hubs in Nome, Kotzebue, and Unalakleet. Most destinations have twice-daily scheduled flights from Monday to Saturday.
Air travel is frequently the only viable transportation option for any significant distance in rural Alaska, especially during winter months.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department announced on social media that ground crews are conducting coastal searches from Nome to Topkok.
“Adverse weather and visibility currently restrict air search capabilities,” the department reported. The public was advised against forming independent search parties due to hazardous weather conditions.
In a subsequent early Friday update, the department stated that “ground crews continue their search, covering as much territory as possible,” but that “no updates on the missing aircraft’s location are available.”
A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew is anticipated to search the aircraft’s last known position. The National Guard and state troopers are also assisting in the search, according to the fire department.
The National Weather Service reported a temperature of 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.3 Celsius) in Unalakleet at takeoff, with light snow and fog.
The identities of those onboard have not yet been released.
Nome, a city renowned for its Gold Rush history, lies just south of the Arctic Circle and serves as the terminus of the 1,000-mile (1,610-kilometer) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
