The Bering Air Caravan, a single-engine turboprop, was heading from the village of Unalakleet to Nome — a distance of about 150 miles — with nine passengers and a pilot on board when it disappeared Thursday afternoon over Alaska’s Norton Sound, according to Alaska's Department of Public Safety.
The Alaska Air National Guard searched with an HC-130 plane Thursday night, but a helicopter had to turn back because of bad weather before even reaching the search area. The region is prone to sudden snow squalls and high winds in the winter, and residents were told not to form their own search parties because the weather was too dangerous. Airplanes are often the only option for travel of any distance in rural Alaska, particularly in winter.
The Guard was approved to fly the helicopter Friday morning, and the Coast Guard brought an additional C-130 to help, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a statement posted to social media. The Coast Guard planned to drop a buoy to help track the movement of sea ice, aiding the search, and a ground crew on snowmobiles was headed along the coast and farther inland.
The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. Thursday. There was light snow and fog, with a temperature of 17 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Officials lost contact with the plane less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air. The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that the aircraft's last known location based on transponder data was about 30 miles southeast of Nome. It was operating at its maximum passenger capacity, according to the airline’s description of the plane.
