A Bering Air Caravan aircraft carrying nine passengers and one pilot has gone missing over Alaska’s Norton Sound. The flight departed from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. local time on Thursday, en route to Nome. Contact was lost approximately an hour later, with the plane’s last known position about 12 miles offshore.
At the time of takeoff, the temperature was 17 degrees, with light snowfall reported.
At 4:00 p.m., the 11th Air Force Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC) alerted the Alaska Department of Public Safety about an overdue Cessna 208B, marking the latest major air incident to hit the United States in recent days.
The U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard and local volunteer fire departments have initiated search operations. Adverse weather conditions, including near zero visibility, have limited aerial searches, prompting ground teams to focus on areas between Nome and Topkok. Authorities have advised against civilian search parties due to safety concerns.
USA TODAY has the latest updates on the desperate search effort:
The fire department said crews were conducting ground searches along the state’s western coast, from Nome to Topkok, adding that air searches were hampered by poor weather and low visibility. The National Guard was assisting in the efforts and a U.S. Coast Guard flight crew began searching the plane’s last known location.
The plane belonging to Bering Air, carrying 10 people, disappeared from radar at 3.20 am near Nome, Alaska. Coast guard and Air Force started a search for the plane. Officials hope there was a technical malfunction.#Alaska pic.twitter.com/XGuf7aGzVX
— My News World (@MyNews_World) February 7, 2025
The incident comes as U.S. air travel and aviation faces increased scrutiny following the collision of a passenger plane and a military helicopter outside Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people and the fatal crash of a Medevac jet in Philadelphia that killed seven people and injured more than 20 others.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post early Friday morning that crews were still searching on the ground and canvassing as much area as possible.
“The National Guard C-130 reported they found nothing found so far,” read the statement, posted just after midnight, local time. The department added that the Air Force so far has “reported no visuals” and had “one hour of flight search time remaining.”
The next update is expected at 9:00 a.m. Alaska Standard Time (1:00 p.m. Eastern).
Alaska has a long history of aviation disasters, partly due to its dependence on small aircraft for transportation across vast and rugged landscapes. Notably, in 2010, former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens died in a plane crash near Dillingham. Earlier, in 1972, Congressman Nick Begich and House Majority Leader Hale Boggs were presumed dead after their plane disappeared en route from Anchorage to Juneau; the aircraft was never found.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
READ NEXT: Ashley Biden Diary Investigation Rocked By DOJ Decision
My thoughts and prayers are with them.