Here's what we know about a commuter plane crash in Alaska that killed 10 people

What we know about the Alaska passenger plane crash that killed 10

This photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small passenger plane that crashed in western Alaska. The flight was headed to Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

JUNO, Alaska — Authorities are recovering the wreckage of a plane that crashed in western Alaska that killed 10 people, as investigators try to determine what caused the small passenger plane to crash into the icy waters of the Bering Sea.

The single-engine turboprop was en route from Unalakleet to Nome when it went missing Thursday evening. The Bering Air plane was found the next day after an extensive search. Nine passengers and the pilot died in the crash.

Rescue teams were scrambling Saturday to recover the wreckage and bodies of the victims before a storm with high winds and heavy snow hit.

Here are some facts about the crash, one of the deadliest air crashes in Alaska in 25 years.

Plane disappears near Nam
Authorities said the Cessna Caravan lost contact with the plane less than an hour after it left Unalakleet on Thursday. The flight was a scheduled passenger service and disappeared from radar about 30 miles southeast of Nam.

The wreckage was found Friday by rescuers searching by helicopter. Local, state and federal rescue teams scoured vast swaths of frozen water and miles of snow-covered terrain for the plane.

Officials said a Black Hawk helicopter would be used to move the wreckage after the bodies were transferred.

Unalakleet is a city of about 690 people, located 240 kilometers southeast of Nam and 640 kilometers northwest of Anchorage. The city is located on the route of the famous Iditarod, the world's most famous dog sled race.

Nam is also a city near the Arctic Circle, known as the end point of the 1,000-kilometer Iditarod race.

The cause of the plane crash is under investigation
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has sent teams from several states to investigate the incident.

The plane rapidly lost altitude and speed, according to radar data provided by the US Air Force, but the cause is not yet known.

Coast Guard Commander Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said there was no sign of a distress call from the plane. If a plane crashes into the water, an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) is supposed to send a signal to a satellite, which then alerts the Coast Guard, but no such call was received.

Flying in Alaska is a major part of the state’s transportation
Alaska’s vastness and limited infrastructure mean that flying is a common mode of transportation. Many areas of the state are not connected to major roads and can only be reached by air or water.

High school sports teams fly between cities for their games, and much of the cargo is delivered to local communities by sea barge or cargo plane.

Who was on the plane?

Officials said all 10 people on board were adults.

Among the dead were Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, who had traveled to the area to repair a heat recovery system at the Unalakleet water treatment plant.

The identities of the other victims have not yet been released.

Other recent crashes in the United States are also under investigation
The Alaska crash is the third major air disaster in the United States in eight days.

January 29: A commercial airliner collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.

January 31: A medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing six people on board and one person on the ground.

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