A small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska on its way to Nome, killing all 10 people on board. The Bering Air single-engine turboprop plane went down on sea ice. Authorities lost contact with the aircraft less than an hour after takeoff. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
JUNEAU, Alaska — A small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome was located Friday on sea ice, and all 10 people on board died, authorities said.
The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air. There was light snow and fog, with a temperature of 17 degrees , according to the National Weather Service. Radar forensic data provided by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol indicated that about 3:18 p.m., the plane had “some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said. “What that event is, I can't speculate to.”
Local, state and federal agencies assisted in the search effort, combing stretches of ice-dotted waters and scouring miles of frozen tundra. Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska from hubs in Nome, Kotzebue and Unalakleet. Most destinations receive twice-daily scheduled flights Monday through Saturday. Two Bering Air planes appeared to be searching in a grid pattern just off the coastline Friday morning, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.
AIRPLANE CRASH ALASKA WEATHER INVESTIGATION TRANSPORTATION
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