Missing Alaska Bering Air plane found with all 10 people on board confirmed dead
8 February 2025, 11:01
The Bering Air plane, which went missing while flying over Alaska, has been found with all 10 people on board confirmed to have died.
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The wreckage of the small commuter plane was located on sea ice on Friday. It crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome.
Mike Salerno, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard, said rescuers were searching the aircraft's last known location by helicopter when they spotted the wreckage.
They lowered two rescue swimmers to investigate.
The Bering Air single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet on Thursday afternoon with nine passengers and a pilot, according to Alaska's Department of Public Safety.
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The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2.37pm, and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air, said.
There was light snow and fog, with a temperature of 17 degrees (minus 8.3C), according to the National Weather Service.
Officials lost contact with the plane less than an hour later. The Coast Guard said the plane went missing about 30 miles (48 kilometres) southeast of Nome.
The aircraft was 12 miles (19 kilometres) offshore, according to the Coast Guard said.
It was operating at its maximum passenger capacity, according to the airline's description of the plane.
Radar forensic data provided by the US Civil Air Patrol indicated that about 3.18pm on Thursday, the plane had "some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed", Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said.
"What that event is, I can't speculate to."
Planes carry an emergency locating transmitter. If exposed to seawater, the device sends a signal to a satellite, which then relays that message back to the Coast Guard to indicate an aircraft may be in distress.
However, there had been no such messages received by the Coast Guard.
All 10 people on board the plane were adults, and the flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, according to Lieutenant Ben Endres of the Alaska State Troopers.
The @USCG has confirmed it has located the wreckage of the Bering Air flight that went missing in western Alaska. This loss is an unspeakble tragedy for communities across Alaska. My heartfelt prayers go to all those who are impacted by this loss.
— Congressman Nick Begich (@RepNickBegich) February 8, 2025
I spoke today with NTSB…
The plane's disappearance marks the third major US aviation mishap in eight days.
A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation's capital on January 29, killing 67 people.
A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground.
Most Alaska communities are not connected to the state's main road system, and airplanes are often the only option for travel of any distance in rural areas, particularly in winter.
The region is prone to sudden snow squalls and high winds in the winter, and residents were told not to form their own search parties because the weather was too dangerous.
Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska from hubs in Nome, Kotzebue and Unalakleet. Most destinations receive twice-daily scheduled flights Monday through Saturday.
Alaska's US senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, issued statements saying their thoughts and prayers were with the passengers, their families, rescuers and the Nome community.
US representative Nick Begich said on X that he was ready to assist Nome and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy "in any way we can".
