A Bering Air Caravan carrying 10 people vanished Thursday afternoon while flying over Alaska’s Norton Sound, south of the Arctic Circle, prompting an extensive overnight search.
The aircraft, traveling from Unalakleet to Nome with nine passengers and a pilot, lost contact less than an hour after its 2:37 p.m. departure, according to Alaska’s Department of Public Safety. Authorities are working to determine its last known coordinates.
Unalakleet, a remote community of about 690 residents, is situated roughly 240 kilometers southeast of Nome and 640 kilometers northwest of Anchorage.
This disappearance marks the third major U.S. aviation incident in just eight days. On Jan. 29, a commercial jetliner and a U.S. Army helicopter collided near Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. Two days later, a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven, including a child being flown home to Mexico.
Bering Air director of operations David Olson confirmed the missing Cessna Caravan was last detected 19 kilometers offshore. “Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going,” Olson stated.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department reported that ground crews were actively searching the coast from Nome to Topkok but faced limitations in aerial search due to poor weather and visibility. Officials warned residents against forming independent search parties due to hazardous conditions.
A U.S. Coast Guard aircraft was expected to search the last known position of the missing plane, with assistance from the National Guard and state troopers. At the time of takeoff, Unalakleet reported temperatures of –8.3°C with light snow and fog, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. The names of those onboard have not been released.
Nome, historically a Gold Rush town, is known today as the finish line of the 1,610-kilometer Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Source: Swifteradio.com
