Urgent Search Underway for Missing Plane with 10 Onboard Off Alaska Coast

A Cessna 208 Grand Caravan is capable of flying up to 12 passengers and fly for three hours on a full tank of fuel

An urgent search is underway for a small aircraft that vanished off the coast of Alaska on Thursday night with ten people onboard.

The Bering Air Caravan, a Cessna 208B, took off from Unalakleet, a small community in western Alaska, and was en route to Nome when it disappeared from flight radars over the Norton Sound inlet at 3:16 p.m. local time.

Harsh weather conditions, including choppy seas and freezing temperatures, are severely hampering rescue efforts. Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force have deployed search teams, but so far, no trace of the aircraft has been found.

Authorities reported their last known contact with the pilot occurred when he informed Anchorage Air Traffic Control that he intended to "enter a holding pattern" while waiting for the runway to be cleared. The aircraft was approximately 12 miles offshore when communication was lost.

Flight data indicates the plane departed Unalakleet at 2:40 p.m. and was last detected over the Norton Sound at 3:16 p.m. Nome Airport, the intended destination, was experiencing severe winter weather at the time, with temperatures as low as 17°F, freezing drizzle, and snow reducing visibility to just half a mile.

White Mountain Fire Chief Jack Adams described the rescue operation as extremely challenging due to zero visibility conditions.

“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 told the Alaska News Service.

The search area falls within the so-called "Alaska Triangle," a vast and treacherous region stretching from Utqiagvik to Anchorage to Juneau, where thousands of aircraft and people have mysteriously disappeared since 1970.

Despite intensive efforts, rescue teams admitted Friday morning that they have "found nothing" so far. The Nome Volunteer Fire Department confirmed that search crews, including officers from the U.S. Air Force and National Guard, have yet to spot any signs of the aircraft.

“The National Guard C-130 reported they found nothing so far. The Air Force also sent a C-130, resumed the search, and have also reported no visuals. They have one hour of flight search time remaining,” officials stated.

Bering Air, the operator of the missing plane, serves 32 villages across Alaska’s remote western coast. Air travel is often the only means of transportation for residents in these isolated communities, particularly in winter when extreme weather makes road travel impossible.

Authorities have not yet determined what caused the aircraft to disappear. Search teams are continuing to canvas as much of the area as possible, but time is running out before worsening conditions may force a temporary pause in rescue efforts.

Watch the moment the Bering plane vanishes from flight radar