Nome, Alaska: Authorities are conducting a search operation for a missing Bering Air flight carrying 10 people after losing contact on Thursday, 6th of February.
The Cessna Grand Caravan departed Unalakleet at 2:38 p.m. but lost communication less than an hour later, according to Bering Air’s operations director, David Olson.
Officials are working to determine its last-known position, though the US Coast Guard reported the aircraft was approximately 12 miles offshore over Norton Sound when it vanished from radar.
Tracking service Flightradar24 recorded the plane at an altitude of 5,300 feet before it disappeared. The aircraft was enroute to Nome, a former gold rush town south of the Arctic Circle, with a usual flight duration of under an hour.
Local media are reporting a Bering Air flight is overdue at Nome and search & rescue efforts are now underway. #8E445 departed Unalakleet at 23:38 UTC (14:38 local)
Last position received at 00:16 UTC
64.330212, -164.02679
5,300 feethttps://t.co/MgIBmtsp2U pic.twitter.com/N4bMUjni0q— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 7, 2025
Nome’s fire department announced on Facebook that search teams were deployed from Nome and White Mountain but urged the public not to conduct independent search efforts due to hazardous weather conditions.
At the time of take-off, Unalakleet’s weather was -8.3°C (17°F) with fog and light snowfall, as reported by the US National Weather Service.
Bering Air, which serves 32 remote villages across western Alaska, plays a crucial role in transportation for rural communities, particularly during the harsh winter months.
Olson said that, “Our team is working diligently to coordinate search and rescue efforts and provide emergency support.”
This incident follows two recent aviation disasters in the US; a fatal collision between a jet and helicopter in Washington DC, that claimed 67 lives, and a medical plane crash in Philadelphia that killed seven.
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