Discovery made in search for missing plane in Alaska
Authorities said a plane that matches the description of the missing commuter plane has been discovered on sea ice in western Alaska.
The wreckage of a plane that matches the description of a missing aircraft in Alaska has been located on sea ice, authorities said on Friday.
Three bodies were found inside the aircraft.
Cameron Snell, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard, said crews had not been able to fully open the plane and were continuing to search: “Right now we just know that there’s three.”
The Bering Air Caravan was heading from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome with nine passengers and a pilot on board, according to Alaska’s Department of Public Safety.
The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2.37pm, and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air.
There was light snow and fog, with a temperature of 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.3C), according to the National Weather Service.
Officials lost contact with the plane less than an hour later. The Coast Guard said the plane went missing about 30 miles (48 kilometres) southeast of Nome.
The discovered aircraft was 12 miles (19 kilometres) offshore, according to the Coast Guard said.
It was operating at its maximum passenger capacity, according to the airline’s description of the plane.
Radar forensic data provided by the US Civil Air Patrol indicated that at about 3.18pm on Thursday, the plane had “some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed,” Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said. “What that event is, I can’t speculate to.”
Lt Com McIntyre-Coble said he was unaware of any distress signals from the aircraft.
Planes carry an emergency locating transmitter and if exposed to seawater, the device sends a signal to a satellite, which then relays that message back to the Coast Guard to indicate an aircraft may be in distress.
There have been no such messages received by the Coast Guard, he said.
All 10 people on board the plane were adults, and the flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, according to Lieutenant Ben Endres of the Alaska State Troopers.
The plane’s disappearance marks the third major US aviation mishap in eight days.
