Ten people were on board a Berlin Air plane that failed to reach its destination and disappeared from radar while flying over the Alaskan Arctic.
After a thorough search, a crew of US Coast Guard helicopters eventually found the wreckage of the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan on sea ice in Alaska, US, on Friday afternoon (local time).
At 2:37 p.m., the aircraft was in route from Unalakleet, a small town in western Alaska, to Nome, which is situated south of the Arctic Circle. The estimated duration of the flight was one hour. However, the aircraft lost touch at 5,300 feet when crossing Norton Sound.
#UPDATE (1/2) #USCG has ended its search for the missing plane after the aircraft was located approx. 34 miles southeast of Nome. 3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased. pic.twitter.com/XndzBYHdCE
— USCGAlaska (@USCGAlaska) February 8, 2025
“USCG has concluded its search for the missing plane after the aircraft was located approximately 34 miles southeast of Nome,” the coast guard wrote on X. Three people were discovered inside and were said to be dead.
The remaining seven individuals are thought to be inside the airplane, however because of the state of the aircraft, they are not now accessible. We send our deepest sympathies to everyone impacted by this terrible event.
During a press conference on Friday, USCG Lieutenant Commander Ben McIntyre-Coble stated that “some kind of event” caused the jet to quickly lose speed and altitude. It is still unclear what specifically caused the collision.
According to him, “at this time, we are working under the assumption that there are still people who are in a position to be assisted by the United States Coast Guard.”
“We are working closely with the local authorities, including the Alaska State Troopers, and we still have air assets overhead to potentially provide on-the-ice assistance to anyone who may be located.”
“However, as of right now, we continue to believe that this is an ongoing search and rescue operation, and we do not currently have any plans to modify the case’s status in the near future.”
#RESCUE (1/2) U.S. Coast Guard District 17 responded to an aircraft emergency notification from Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at 4:30 p.m. today for a Cessna Caravan that reported to have 10 people aboard.
— USCGAlaska (@USCGAlaska) February 7, 2025
“The Coast Guard determined the severity of the wreckage was beyond the possibility of survival,” the US Coast Guard later stated in a press release.
Governor Mike Dunleavy of Alaska was among the many people who expressed their condolences on social media.
Dunleavy posted on X, “The loss of the 10 people on the Bering Air flight is heartbreaking to Rose and me.” “The families, friends, and communities grieving this tragedy are in our thoughts and prayers.”
Rose and I are heartbroken by the loss of the 10 people on the Bering Air flight. Our prayers are with the families, friends, and communities mourning this tragedy.
— Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) February 8, 2025
We are grateful to the search teams who worked tirelessly to locate the aircraft. I ask all Alaskans to keep those…
In the past two weeks, there have been two significant jet crashes, including the one in Alaska.
All 67 individuals on board were killed when an American Airlines aircraft and a US Army Black helicopter collided in midair. In the other crash, two pilots, a doctor, a paramedic, and a woman and her daughter who had received life-saving medical care in the United States were on board a medical plane that was traveling from the United States to Mexico.
