San Francisco, Feb 7: A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft carrying nine passengers and one pilot has been reported missing near Nome, Alaska, prompting an urgent search operation, officials said.
Alaska State Troopers confirmed they were alerted by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at 4 p.m. (0100 GMT Friday) about the missing plane, which was operated by Bering Air and flying from Unalakleet to Nome.
According to data from FlightRadar, the aircraft last transmitted its location at 3:16 p.m. over Norton Sound. Jack Adams, White Mountain fire chief, stated that the plane disappeared from radar somewhere along the coastline between Nome and Topkok, triggering an intense search covering a 30-mile (50-km) stretch in that area.
“If they don’t find anything, we’ll probably rally another crew to go and help,” Adams said.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department has urged the public not to form independent search parties due to harsh weather and safety concerns. The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed a C-130 aircraft flying in a grid pattern to locate the missing plane.
Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan addressed the situation on Facebook, stating, “We are receiving reports of a potential missing aircraft on its way to Nome. Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers, their families, and the rescue team.”
The search comes amid heightened scrutiny of air safety in the U.S., as investigators continue probing two recent aviation tragedies—a midair collision near Washington, D.C., that claimed 67 lives, and a medevac jet crash in Philadelphia that killed seven people.
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