US missing plane found crashed in Alaska, all 10 aboard dead
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Authorities inspect the wreckage of the Bering Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan near Nome, Alaska, on Feb. 7, 2025. | US Coast Guard
San Francisco: The US Coast Guard has confirmed the discovery of a crashed plane matching the description of an aircraft that went missing along Alaska’s western coast. All 10 people on board have been declared dead.
The wreckage was found approximately 54 km southeast of Nome city after an extensive search operation hindered by poor weather and low visibility.
The missing aircraft, a turboprop Cessna Caravan operated by Bering Air, was carrying nine passengers and a pilot. It was en route from Unalakleet to Nome when contact was lost about 19 km offshore on Thursday afternoon, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department reported on Friday that the families of all victims had been notified. Alaska State Trooper Lt. Ben Endres confirmed that all passengers were adults traveling on a regularly scheduled commuter flight.
According to FlightRadar24, a live flight-tracking website, the aircraft’s last recorded position was over water, 38 minutes after departing Unalakleet. The flight typically takes less than an hour.
Among the victims, two were on a work trip for a non-profit tribal health organization. The names of the others have not been released.
The search for the missing plane comes amid ongoing investigations into two other recent US air disasters. These include a midair collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington, DC, that killed 67 people, and a medevac jet crash in Philadelphia that claimed seven lives.
With IANS inputs