United States: Plane with 10 People Disappears in Western Alaska
SAN FRANCISCO, February 7, 2025 – A plane carrying ten individuals went missing on Thursday afternoon near Nome, the westernmost major city in Alaska, according to local media reports citing authorities. The Alaska State Police confirmed that the flight had nine passengers and one pilot on board, stating they were alerted by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at 4:00 PM local time about the missing aircraft.
The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, operated by Bering Air, was scheduled to fly from Unalakleet to Nome, as reported by Nome’s volunteer firefighters.
Live flight tracker Flightradar24’s X account added that the plane’s last position had been received at 5,300 feet at around 3:16 p.m. The website stated the average flight time was 47 minutes.
The White Mountain fire chief, Jack Adams, told KTUU’s Alaska’s News Source that the aircraft “disappeared from the radar somewhere along the coast of Nome to Topkok,” adding that authorities had been searching the approximately “30-mile stretch.”
“They’re prepared to be out all night, they will search here until they find them or somebody else finds them,” the chief added, per the outlet. “If they don’t find anything, we’ll probably rally another crew to go and help.”
Adams pointed out that the sea ice was “kind of jumbled,” telling the outlet, “We’re hoping [the plane] is on land, being in the water would be the worst-case scenario.”
“Word is, all the aircraft are grounded, there’s zero visibility. 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,” Adams continued, per the publication.
