All 10 on board missing US plane dead, wreckage recovered from Alaska; 3rd aviation disaster in 8 days

A small utility plane that went missing near Western Alaska on Thursday (February 6) was recovered by search and rescue authorities, with all 10 people on board confirmed dead.

The US Coast Guard on Friday traced the wreckage of the Bering Air single-engine turboprop on ice using its helicopters. Later, it deployed its rescue swimmers on the site for examination.

The plane took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 pm (local time) and was en route to Nome, and was 12 miles offshore when its position was lost.

In an initial update, USCG Lt. Commander Mike Salern told US broadcaster CNN that the swimmers found three bodies inside the plane while seven bodies remained unattainable as they “are believed to be inside the wreckage.”

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Statement from Bering Air

In a statement, Bering Air’s director of operations David Olson said the plane “experienced some kind of event that caused a rapid loss of elevation and rapid loss of speed.”

The USCG shared condolences on social media.

“Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic incident.” The agency said it won’t release the names of the victims but added the families have already been notified.

According to media reports, agencies like the Coast Guard, National Guard, FBI and US Air Force were involved in the search operations.

Meanwhile, Nome Volunteer Fire Department also conducted searches along the coastline as helicopters kept scouring the ice-covered seas.

Weather conditions around Alaska on Thursday

According to the National Weather Service; light snow, drizzling and mist had engulfed the area around airport on Thursday. However, Alaska’s Transportation Department later said the airport remained operational throughout the day.

Notably, Bering Air is a local airline service that caters to remote Alaskan communities. Owing to rough terrain and lack of access to roads, about 80 per cent of the state’s communities rely on air travel for transportation.

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Third air incident in US within eight days

It’s the third major aviation incident in the US within the last eight days.

Earlier on January 29, 67 people lost their lives when a commercial jetliner collided with an Army helicopter near Washington DC.

Then on January 31, seven people died when a medical transportation plane went down in Philadelphia.

(With inputs from agencies)