Crews continue recovery efforts following the crash of a Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, which lost radar contact en route from Unalakleet to Nome. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is working to determine the crash's cause while offering condolences to the victims' families.
All Passengers Confirmed Dead in Alaska Plane Crash
All Passengers Confirmed Dead in Alaska Plane Crash
A tragic plane crash in Alaska claims the lives of all ten individuals onboard, sparking an ongoing investigation.
Authorities are still gathering details about the deadly incident involving regional airline Bering Air, which occurred approximately 34 miles from Nome. The aircraft, carrying nine passengers along with a pilot, went down in the icy waters of Norton Sound on Thursday. Among those lost were two employees from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, who were on a maintenance trip.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, reported that recovery efforts are ongoing but complicated by the harsh weather conditions, with wreckage situated on a moving ice floe. Emergency responders had been notified at around 4 PM local time that an aircraft was overdue, shortly after the pilot had communicated intentions to enter a holding pattern while awaiting runway clearance.
Witnesses noted that visibility was low around the time of the crash, and an official statement from the U.S. Coast Guard indicated a rapid loss of altitude and speed led to the disappearance of radar contact. Both Alaska's Governor Mike Dunleavy and Senator Lisa Murkowski extended their heartfelt condolences to the families affected by this tragedy, emphasizing the small-town nature of the Alaskan community, which feels closely connected in times of loss.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, reported that recovery efforts are ongoing but complicated by the harsh weather conditions, with wreckage situated on a moving ice floe. Emergency responders had been notified at around 4 PM local time that an aircraft was overdue, shortly after the pilot had communicated intentions to enter a holding pattern while awaiting runway clearance.
Witnesses noted that visibility was low around the time of the crash, and an official statement from the U.S. Coast Guard indicated a rapid loss of altitude and speed led to the disappearance of radar contact. Both Alaska's Governor Mike Dunleavy and Senator Lisa Murkowski extended their heartfelt condolences to the families affected by this tragedy, emphasizing the small-town nature of the Alaskan community, which feels closely connected in times of loss.
