Search in progress off Alaska’s western coast for missing plane with 10 aboard
- NewsBlend360
- Feb 7
- 3 min read
Updated 1:28 PM EST, February 7, 2025
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (NB360) — On Friday, rescuers continued their search for a plane that disappeared while transporting 10 people over Alaska’s Norton Sound, located south of the Arctic Circle. The U.S. Coast Guard's HC-130 Hercules crew scoured the area between White Mountain and Nome but did not locate the missing aircraft, officials reported on X. A Jayhawk helicopter was deployed early Friday. A spokesperson from the National Transportation Safety Board stated that the agency is keeping an eye on the situation.
The Bering Air Caravan, a single-engine turboprop, was en route from Unalakleet to Nome on Thursday afternoon with nine passengers and a pilot, as per Alaska’s Department of Public Safety. Authorities were attempting to ascertain its last known coordinates.
Search for missing plane
Search efforts are underway for a single-engine turboprop plane carrying 10 individuals that disappeared during a flight from Unalakleet to Nome on Thursday.
Unalakleet is a community of approximately 690 residents in western Alaska, located around 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Nome and 395 miles (640 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage.
The disappearance represents the third significant U.S. aviation incident in eight days. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation's capital on January 29, resulting in 67 fatalities. A medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, killing all six people onboard and one person on the ground.
The Cessna Caravan departed from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and contact was lost with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, Bering Air's director of operations. The U.S. Coast Guard reported the aircraft was 12 miles (19 kilometers) offshore. It was operating at full passenger capacity, as per the airline's description of the plane.
"The Bering Air team is diligently working to gather information, initiate emergency assistance, and conduct search and rescue operations," Olson stated.
Bering Air operates in 32 villages across western Alaska from hubs in Nome, Kotzebue, and Unalakleet, providing most destinations with scheduled flights twice daily from Monday to Saturday.
In rural Alaska, especially during winter, airplanes are often the sole means of covering any significant distance.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department announced on social media that ground teams were searching along the western coast of Alaska, from Nome to Topkok. The National Guard and troopers were also participating in the search, according to the department.
"Due to weather and visibility constraints, our air search efforts are currently limited," the department stated. People were advised against forming their own search parties due to dangerous weather conditions.
In an early Friday update, the department mentioned that "ground crews are still actively searching, covering as much area as possible," but "there is no new information regarding the missing aircraft's location."
The temperature in Unalakleet at the time of takeoff was 17 degrees (minus 8.3 Celsius), according to the National Weather Service, with light snow and fog present.
The identities of those onboard have not been disclosed.
Nome, a town from the Gold Rush era, is situated just south of the Arctic Circle and is famous as the finish line of the 1,000-mile (1,610-kilometer) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Alaska's U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, shared statements on X regarding the missing plane, expressing their thoughts and prayers for the passengers, their families, the rescuers, and the Nome community. U.S. Rep. Nick Begich also posted on X, expressing his readiness to support the Nome community and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy "in any way we can."
Comments