Alaska airplane missing: Adverse weather, visibility problems responsible for tragedy? Explained in 10 points

A Cessna plane with 10 people onboard went missing during a flight in Alaska, according to local and state officials. The plane, operated by Bering Air, was en route from Unalakleet to Nome, both cities in western Alaska separated by the Norton Sound inlet, according to the Alaska State Troopers.

Authorities were working to determine its last known coordinates. Rescuers searched into the night for any sign of the aircraft. Here are ten things you need to know in this story:

-A Bering Air flight from Unalakleet to Nome failed to land as scheduled at 4 p.m. on Thursday, sending local and federal officials into a mad dash to locate the missing aircraft, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. Authorities are frantically searching for an airplane carrying 10 people that went missing on its way to Nome, Alaska, according to officials.


-Search and rescue crews from Alaska State Troopers and the National Transportation Safety Board are working to identify the plane’s last known coordinates, according to the statement.

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-The Bering plane, carrying nine passengers and one pilot, was possibly affected by adverse weather and visibility problems, according to the Nome Volunteer Fire Department. Weather in Unalakleet at take-off time was -8.3C (17F) with fog and light snow, according to the US National Weather Service.

-Before the plane was reported missing, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said the pilot had told Anchorage Air Traffic Control that "he intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway to be cleared." The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska said the plane was 12 miles offshore while flying from Unalakleet to Nome when its position was lost, according to USA Today.

-Search crews and aircraft from the Coast Guard, the National Guard and the U.S. Air Force were working to locate the plane, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said. Nome is home to fewer than 4,000 people, and Unalakleet about 700.

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-The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air. The aircraft was 12 miles (about 19 kilometers) offshore, according to news agency AP.

-The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a statement on social media that ground crews were searching across the coast, from Nome to Topkok. “Due to weather and visibility, we are limited on air search at the current time,” it said. People were told not to form their own search parties because the weather was too dangerous.

-According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, a disproportionate number of air taxi and commuter plane accidents occur in Alaska compared to other U.S. states. Alaska is known for its mountainous terrain and challenging weather. Many Alaskan villages are not connected by roads, meaning small planes are generally used to transport people and goods.

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-The disappearance marks the third major incident in US aviation in eight days. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation’s capital on January 29, killing 67 people.

-On January 31, a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing the six people onboard and another person on the ground.

(With inputs from AP)