A search has begun into an aircraft that disappeared while flying above Alaska.
2025 is off to a tragic start when it comes to aeronautical disasters, and after the January 29 American Airlines incident, a frantic search is now underway for a missing Bering Air flight. The USA is still reeling from January's crash above the Potomac River where a Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 and claimed the lives of all 67 people involved.
Now, Alaska’s Department of Public Safety has reported that a Bering Air airplane is currently 'missing' above Alaska. Flight 445 was reported as overdue when it vanished from the rural western region of Nome, traveling there from Unalakleet. The airplane was reported missing just before 4:00 pm local time, with nine passengers and one pilot apparently on board.
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Bering Air Director of Operations David Olson confirmed that the flight took off as expected from the small community of Unalakleet.
Officials lost contact less than an hour later, with Olson saying its radio went off around 10 minutes before it was due to arrive in Nome.
The U.S. Coast Guard claims the aircraft was flying about 12 miles offshore over the Norton Sound.
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Medical personnel are ‘standing ready to respond’, although there's no sign of the missing Cessna 208B Grand Caravan at the time of writing.
Although the Nome Volunteer Fire Department has been conducting a ground search in Nome and the White Mountains, bad weather is said to be hampering it. In an update, the organization wrote: "The plane’s exact location is still unknown. We continue to expand search efforts to as many avenues as possible until the plane is located."
Speaking to Alaska’s News Source, White Mountain Fire Chief Jack Adams reiterated: "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."
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It comes as temperatures dipped to 17°F in Unalakleet at the time of takeoff, while there was also light snow and fog. Visibility was said to have been as poor as only half a mile.
In terms of the search area, Adams says that the 30-mile terrain currently being covered is 'kind of jumbled'. Still, there are hopes that the plane and its passengers will be found in the adverse conditions: "We’re hoping [the plane] is on land, being in the water would be the worst-case scenario."
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department made it clear that while people might want to help, the near-whiteout conditions mean they should leave it to the professionals: "We ask the public to please think of those who may be missing at this time, but due to weather and safety concerns please do not form individual search parties."
The Coast Guard is also out flying in a C-130, using specialized equipment that can help find people in poor conditions.
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As search and rescue efforts continue, Alaska's Senator Dan Sullivan posted on Facebook to offer his "thoughts and prayers" to those who are missing.
The missing Bering Air flight is the third incident in just two weeks, as following the Washington crash, a medical jet crashed and killed all seven on board in Northeast Philadelphia.