A Bering Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan carrying 10 people—nine passengers and one pilot—has vanished from radar while flying over western Alaska.
The aircraft was traveling from Unalakleet to Nome when communication was lost around 4 p.m. local time. According to flight records, the plane departed Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and contact was severed less than an hour later.
“On February 6, 2025, at 4:00 p.m., AST was contacted by AKRCC regarding an overdue aircraft,” the Alaska Department of Public Safety announced on its website. The statement further confirmed, “A Bering Air Caravan went missing while en route from Unalakleet to Nome with nine passengers and one pilot on board. Search and rescue crews are working to reach the aircraft’s last known coordinates.”
Efforts to locate the missing plane have been hampered by hazardous winter weather and poor visibility, limiting aerial search capabilities.
Ground teams from Nome and White Mountain have been mobilized, with officials urging residents not to launch independent search efforts due to the treacherous conditions.
The Nome Volunteer Fire Department issued an urgent update, confirming that local and state agencies are actively conducting search operations.
“We are currently responding to a report of a missing Bering Air Caravan. There were ten people on board, and the aircraft was en route from Unalakleet to Nome,” the department stated. “Due to weather and visibility constraints, our air search is limited at this time. The National Guard, Coast Guard, and Alaska State Troopers have been notified and are engaged in the search. Norton Sound Health Corporation is standing by.”
Authorities are urging the public to remain hopeful but to prioritize safety. “We ask the public to keep those missing in their thoughts,” the fire department emphasized, “but due to weather and safety concerns, please do not form individual search parties. Families are encouraged to seek support at Norton Sound Health Corporation.”
As of 7:00 p.m. local time, the search has intensified with the deployment of a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 aircraft. The C-130 is conducting an aerial survey of the area, assisting ground teams by pinpointing possible locations using advanced GPS tracking.
Although the C-130 will not land, it is flying a strategic grid pattern over the coastline and water in an effort to detect any signs of the missing plane. The aircraft is equipped with specialized search and rescue technology capable of identifying objects and individuals even in near-zero visibility.
Additionally, Elmendorf Air Force Base is dispatching flight support to aid in the search, according to Alaska News Source.
Ground crews have extensively searched the coastline from Nome to Topkok, but the plane’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Authorities remain committed to utilizing all available resources and expanding search efforts until the aircraft is found. Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.