A passenger plane has gone missing in Alaska, sparking a major search and rescue operation. The Bering Air Caravan, carrying 10 passengers, disappeared while flying across Alaska’s Norton Sound south of the Arctic Circle. Authorities are frantically working to determine the last known coordinates of the aircraft, as the search effort intensifies.
The plane vanished on Thursday afternoon while en route from Unalakleet to Nome, with nine passengers and a pilot on board, as reported by Alaska’s Department of Public Safety. Unalakleet, a small community of about 690 individuals located in western Alaska, serves as the departure point for the ill-fated flight towards Nome, situated roughly 150 miles southeast, and Anchorage, approximately 395 miles northwest.
This unfortunate event marks the third significant aviation incident in the United States within the past eight days, following a commercial jetliner clash with an army helicopter and a fatal medical transportation plane crash. The Cessna Caravan departed from Unalakleet at 2:37 pm local time and lost communication less than an hour later, with reports indicating it was 12 miles offshore, according to the US Coast Guard. Authorities from Bering Air are tirelessly coordinating emergency response efforts, including search and rescue operations.
Bering Air, an essential lifeline providing air travel services to 32 remote villages in western Alaska, operates flights out of hubs in Nome, Kotzebue, and Unalakleet. In these isolated regions, air travel is often the sole means of transportation, particularly in winter. The Nome Volunteer Fire Department has mobilized ground crews to conduct searches from Nome to Topkok along the coastline, highlighting the challenging weather conditions and limited visibility hampering air operations.
With the temperature hovering around -8.3°C during take-off in Unalakleet, light snowfall and fog have added to the complexities of the search and rescue mission. Despite the challenging circumstances, a US Coast Guard aircraft and other agencies, including the National Guard and state troopers, are actively participating in the search operation to locate the missing aircraft and its passengers.
The names of the individuals onboard the vanished plane are yet to be disclosed. Nome, a historic Gold Rush town just below the Arctic Circle, is renowned as the finish line for the gruelling 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. As families and loved ones anxiously await news of their missing relatives, the search efforts remain ongoing, with rescuers tirelessly combing the Alaskan wilderness for any signs of the Bering Air Caravan.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities are diligently piecing together the sequence of events that led to the plane’s disappearance, while local communities in Alaska and beyond offer their thoughts and prayers for the safety and swift recovery of the passengers and crew members aboard the missing aircraft. The collaborative search and rescue efforts serve as a testament to the unwavering commitment of emergency responders and aviation personnel in times of crisis.