The remains of a small aircraft that vanished while flying over Alaska were found on Friday, resting on sea ice, with all 10 people aboard confirmed dead, authorities said. Coast Guard spokesperson Mike Salerno said rescue teams used a helicopter to search the aircraft's last recorded location. Two rescue swimmers were deployed to examine the wreckage.
The plane was found crash-landed 34 miles southeast of Nome, its intended destination. The swimmers located three bodies inside the plane, while the remaining seven victims are believed to be trapped within the wreckage, which was difficult to access due to its condition, the US Coast Guard Alaska said in a post on X.
Grim Discovery
The small Bering Air Cessna Caravan, carrying nine passengers and one pilot, took off from Unalakleet at around 2:37 p.m. on Thursday, heading toward Nome—a journey of about 150 miles. However, contact with officials was lost less than an hour after takeoff.
Few details have been revealed about the people on board, except that all were adults. Officials said on Friday that the aircraft went through a "sudden drop" in altitude and speed shortly before disappearing.
Around 3:18 p.m. Thursday, the plane had "some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed," US Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said Friday before the wreckage was found. "What that event is, I can't speculate to."
"The remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane," the agency wrote on X.
"Our heartfelt condolences are with those affected by this tragic incident."
The state Department of Public Safety said that the single-engine aircraft was fully loaded when it vanished over Alaska's Norton Sound. According to Coast Guard officials, the plane disappeared around 30 miles southeast of Nome and around 12 miles from the shoreline.
Investigation into Crash Ongoing
Nome's mayor fought to hold back tears while addressing the press about the ten lives lost in the crash of a Bering Air plane. During the emotional briefing, John Handeland urged the people of the Alaskan city to "hold your loved ones close."
Overcome with emotion, the mayor spoke about the rescue operation that was initiated after the small aircraft disappeared on Thursday night.
He spoke just hours after the wreckage of the Nome-bound plane was discovered 34 miles southeast of the city.
"Nome is a strong community, and in challenging times we come together and support each other. I expect the outpouring of support to continue in the coming days as we all work to recover from this tragic incident," Handeland said.
The Alaska plane crash marks the third major aviation disaster in the U.S. within a week. Last Wednesday, an American Airlines aircraft collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, DC, resulting in the deaths of 67 people.
Two days later, a medical transport plane went down in Philadelphia, claiming the lives of all six people on board and one person on the ground.
