Rescuers are currently searching for a missing plane that was carrying 10 people across Alaska's Norton Sound, south of the Arctic Circle. The Bering Air Caravan was en route from Unalakleet to Nome with nine passengers and a pilot when it disappeared. Unalakleet, a community of about 690 people in western Alaska, is located approximately 150 miles southeast of Nome and 395 miles northwest of Anchorage.
This incident marks the third major aviation event in the U.S. within eight days, following a commercial jetliner and Army helicopter collision near the nation's capital and a medical transportation plane crash in Philadelphia. The Cessna Caravan departed Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. and lost contact less than an hour later while being 12 miles offshore, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Bering Air, which serves 32 villages in western Alaska, is actively involved in coordinating emergency assistance and search and rescue efforts. Air travel is a crucial means of transportation in rural Alaska, especially during winter when it is often the only viable option for long-distance travel.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department has deployed ground crews to search along the coast from Nome to Topkok due to limited air search capabilities caused by adverse weather conditions. The U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard, and troopers are also assisting in the search for the missing aircraft.
At the time of takeoff, the temperature in Unalakleet was 17 degrees Fahrenheit with light snow and fog. The names of the individuals onboard have not been disclosed. Nome, a historic Gold Rush town just south of the Arctic Circle, is renowned as the finish line of the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
