Information gleaned from FlightRadar reveals the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX last reported at 3:16 p.m. over the Norton Sound. Coast Guard officials revealed that another plane, an HC-130 Hercules, was dispatched from Air Station Kodiak to search the Bering Air flight’s last known position.
“The plane will not land, but will fly a grid pattern over the water and shoreline in attempts to locate the plane. The plane is equipped with specialized equipment for search and rescue that enables them to locate objects and people through no visibility conditions,” the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said.
Bering Air is a regional air service based in Nome, but it includes hubs in Kotzebue and Unalakleet.
“We operate scheduled passenger and cargo flights seven days a week out of each hub to 32 communities along the northwest coast of Alaska,” the company went on to say on its website. Nine passengers and one pilot were on the plane when it went missing.
“Staff at Bering Air is working hard to gather details, get emergency assistance, search and rescue going,” David Olson, the director of operations, said in comments given to the Associated Press.
The NVFD stated early Friday, “We do not have any updated information on the location of the missing aircraft,” adding that “crews are still searching on the ground, canvassing as much area as possible.”
“National Guard and Coast Guard and Troopers have been notified and are active in the search,” it reported, saying that “[Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson] is also sending flight support through the Air Force.”
“We ask the public to please think of those who may be missing at this time, but due to weather and safety concerns please do not form individual search parties,” the fire department added.
One of the biggest obstacles to survival in this part of the country is the bitter cold. Temperatures are currently sitting in the teens in Unalakleet. It was the same at the time of the flight, plus there was snow and fog during the flight’s takeoff.
“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,” Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Ak., stated in a post on Facebook.
This is the third aviation incident to take place in the last few weeks, the first being a collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and passenger jet, followed by a medevac jet crashing in Philadelphia.
