Bering Air Flight Goes Missing Over Alaska: What We Know

A Bering Air flight with 10 people onboard went missing en route to Nome, Alaska, late on Thursday.

The Nome Volunteer Fire Department reported the missing plane on social media, adding that the department, along with the National Guard, Coast Guard and troopers are carrying out an "active ground search."

Newsweek has contacted Nome's City Clerk, via email, for comment.

What To Know

The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft was flying from Unalakleet, on the western coast of Alaska, to the city of Nome and was last reporting information at 3:16 p.m. over Norton Sound, according to FlightRadar data.

The plane is believed to have vanished from the radar somewhere along the coast from Nome to Topkok, White Mountain fire chief Jack Adams told Alaska's News Source.

U.S. Coast Guard Alaska also posted about the incident, saying the aircraft "was 12 miles offshore transiting from Unalakleet to Nome when its position was lost."

Speaking about search crews that have been dispatched, Adams said: "They're prepared to be out all night, they will search here until they find them or somebody else finds them. If they don't find anything, we'll probably rally another crew to go and help."

He added that he hoped the plane is on land—because "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," he said.

The Nome Volunteer Fire Department also spoke about the search conditions, saying: "We are currently doing an active ground search from Nome and from White Mountain and have as much up to date information on the event as possible.

"Due to weather and visibility, we are limited on air search at the current time. National Guard and Coast Guard and Troopers have been notified and are active in the search. Norton Sound Health Corporation is standing by."

In an update issued at 12:30 a.m. local time, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said teams had not yet found the aircraft.

It wrote on Facebook: "Crews are still searching on the ground, canvassing as much area as possible. The National Guard C-130 reported they found nothing found so far. The Airforce also sent a C-130 resumed the search and also have reported no visuals, and have one hour of flight search time remaining."

What People Are Saying

The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said: "We ask the public to please think of those who may be missing at this time, but due to weather and safety concerns please do not form individual search parties. Families are encouraged to seek support at Norton Sound Health Corporation."

What Happens Next

Emergency services will continue their search and update reports with further information.

Update 2/7/25, 8:27 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a new update from the Nome Volunteer Fire Department.