A search operation is underway in Alaska after a Bering Air flight carrying 10 people went missing over the Norton Sound on Thursday. The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, en route from Unalakleet to Nome, lost contact around 3:16 p.m., approximately 12 miles offshore, according to flight tracking data. The aircraft, which was carrying nine passengers and one pilot, has not been located as of Friday morning.
Authorities, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska State Troopers, and the U.S. Air Force, have mobilized search and rescue teams. However, severe weather conditions, including snow, freezing drizzle, and wind gusts up to 35 mph, have complicated aerial search efforts. "The plane's exact location is still unknown. We continue to expand search efforts to as many avenues as possible until the plane is located," the Nome Volunteer Fire Department stated on Facebook.
The department urged civilians not to form independent search parties due to safety concerns. "Due to weather and visibility, we are limited on air search at the current time," it wrote, adding that ground searches were being conducted from Nome and White Mountain.
A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 aircraft was deployed to the region Thursday evening to assist with the operation. The aircraft is equipped with specialized search-and-rescue technology designed to detect objects and people even in no-visibility conditions. "The C-130 has arrived in the Nome Area. The plane will not land but will fly a grid pattern over the water and shoreline in attempts to locate the plane," the fire department stated.
David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air, confirmed the aircraft's last known departure time was 2:37 p.m. Thursday. The pilot reportedly informed Anchorage Air Traffic Control that he intended to hold in a holding pattern while awaiting runway clearance at Nome, but communication was lost shortly after.
Jack Adams, White Mountain's fire chief, noted that search teams were focusing on a 30-mile coastal stretch between Nome and Topkok. "They're prepared to be out all night, they will search here until they find them or somebody else finds them," Adams said. "If they don't find anything, we'll probably rally another crew to go and help."
The disappearance of the flight comes at a time when U.S. aviation safety is under scrutiny following two deadly incidents in recent weeks-the midair collision of a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington, D.C., which killed 67 people, and the crash of a medevac jet in Philadelphia that left seven dead.
Local hospitals in the region have been put on alert in case medical attention is needed for survivors. "Norton Sound Health Corporation is standing ready to respond to a community medical emergency," the regional hospital said in a statement. A family support center has been set up for loved ones of the missing passengers.
Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan acknowledged the incident, posting on X, "We are hearing reports of a possible missing plane en route to Nome. Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers, their families, and the rescue crew."
Authorities have not released the identities of those on board. The search is expected to continue as conditions allow, with the Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, and local fire departments coordinating efforts to locate the missing aircraft.
