Search and rescue crews are looking for a Bering Air plane reported missing on Thursday afternoon while en route to a coastal Alaskan city with 10 people aboard.
The small turboprop Cessna Caravan, carrying nine passengers and a pilot, was reported missing at around 4 p.m. local time on Thursday, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
Crews were working to get the aircraft’s last known coordinates.
The plane was reportedly flying from Unalakleet, Alaska, to Nome, Alaska, the department added. The two cities are located along the west coast of Alaska.
Before the plane was reported missing, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said the pilot had told Anchorage Air Traffic Control that “he intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway to be cleared.” The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska said the plane was 12 miles offshore while flying from Unalakleet to Nome when its position was lost.
The fire department confirmed that crews were currently doing an active ground search from the cities of Nome and White Mountain, both in the Nome Census Area on the southern Seward Peninsula.
The fire department added that the National Guard and Coast Guard were also active in the search. Norton Sound Health Corporation, a tribally owned and operated nonprofit healthcare organization, said it’s standing by “to respond to a community medical emergency.”
Air search was initially limited due to weather and visibility, according to the fire department. But shortly before 8 p.m., the fire department said an HC-130 Coast Guard plane had 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 said in a statement. “The plane is equipped with specialized equipment for search and rescue that enables them to locate objects and people through no visibility conditions.”
According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, a disproportionate number of air taxi and commuter plane accidents occur in Alaska compared to other U.S. states.
Alaska is known for its mountainous terrain and challenging weather. Many Alaskan villages are not connected by roads, meaning small planes are generally used to transport people and goods.
