Alaska, Feb 09, (V7N) - A search for a missing plane carrying 10 people in Alaska has ended with the discovery of wreckage, and authorities believe there are no survivors. The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, operated by Bering Air, disappeared on Thursday afternoon after losing altitude and speed over Norton Sound, located on the western coast of Alaska. The plane was on a scheduled flight from Unalakleet to Nome, a journey that typically takes less than an hour.
 
On Friday, the wreckage was found 34 miles from Nome, where the plane was supposed to land. Authorities have confirmed the deaths of three passengers amid the wreckage and have presumed the other seven passengers were also killed. However, due to the condition of the plane, some of the victims were not immediately accessible, and recovery efforts were paused on Friday. Recovery efforts resumed on Saturday, as crews worked to retrieve the bodies while weather conditions allowed.
 
A winter weather advisory was in effect for the Nome area, with temperatures feeling like 6 degrees due to wind chill, and snow and blowing snow expected later in the day. The Coast Guard has stated that the crash was not survivable.
 
Bering Air, a family-owned airline operating in western Alaska since 1979, is known for providing scheduled and charter flights to remote areas. Authorities have confirmed that all 10 people on board were adults. Two of the victims, Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, were employees of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, who had been traveling to Unalakleet to service a heat recovery system for the community's water plant.
 
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but weather conditions on the day of the disappearance were poor, with snow and freezing fog in the flight path. While search operations were complicated by bad weather, no further details have been released, and a full investigation is ongoing.
 
This crash comes as the U.S. faces increased attention to aviation safety following a series of fatal incidents in recent weeks, including a collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C. and a Medevac jet crash in Philadelphia.
 
For now, the community is mourning the loss of those on board the flight, and families of the victims have been notified.
 
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