Wreckage of Missing Plane Found on Sea Ice

UPDATE Feb 7, 2025 7:48 PM CST

The wreckage of the Bering Air Caravan that went missing Thursday in Alaska has been found, with all 10 people who were on board presumed dead. The Wall Street Journal reports the plane vanished over the Bering Sea and was found on ocean ice. The US Coast Guard in Alaska wrote on X that "3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased. The remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane." The plane was located 34 miles southeast of Nome, its intended destination. The flight departed at 2:37pm and the pilot had informed Anchorage-based air-traffic control that he was going to enter a holding pattern until the Nome runway was cleared. NBC News reports the plane experienced a "rapid loss in elevation ... and speed" at 3:18pm; the cause of that has not been determined.

Feb 7, 2025 4:51 AM CST

An aircraft carrying 10 people across Alaska's Norton Sound south of the Arctic Circle went missing Thursday afternoon and rescuers searched into the night for any sign of it. The Bering Air Caravan was heading from Unalakleet to Nome with nine passengers and a pilot, according to Alaska's Department of Public Safety. Authorities are working to determine its last known coordinates. Jack Adams, the fire chief in White Mountain, tells KTUU that crews are searching a 30-mile stretch from Nome to Topkok. He says that with sea ice "kind of jumbled," ground crews are traveling along the Iditarod Trail.

Adams says weather issues have restricted the air search. "Word is, all the aircraft are grounded, there's zero visibility," he says. "Basically, you can't see anything from the air or the ground, and in the dark looking for something in zero visibility is a tough job." Adams says crews are hoping to find the plane on land because "being in the water would be the worst-case scenario."

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The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37pm and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air. The aircraft was 12 miles offshore at the time, according to the US Coast Guard. The Coast Guard, the National Guard, and troopers are helping with the search, according to the Nome fire department. Unalakleet is a community of about 690 people in western Alaska, around 150 miles southeast of Nome, the AP reports. (More Alaska stories.)