The crash in Alaska on Thursday was the third major plane crash in America in eight days, following crashes near Washington, D.C. and in Philadelphia.
Authorities are working to recover the wreckage of a plane crash in western Alaska that killed 10 people while investigators are trying to determine what caused the small commuter aircraft to go down in the icy Bering Sea.
The single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome when it disappeared Thursday afternoon. The Bering Air plane was found the next day after an extensive search. Nine passengers and the pilot were killed.
Crews on Saturday succeeded in recovering the remains of those killed in the crash from a drifting ice floe before the anticipated onset of high winds and snow.
Here are things to know about the plane crash, which is one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in 25 years.
The plane was reported missing near Nome
Officials said contact with the Cessna Caravan was lost less than an hour after it left Unalakleet on Thursday. Authorities said the flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, and the aircraft went missing about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Nome.
The wreckage was found Friday by rescuers who were searching by helicopter. Local, state and federal agencies scoured large stretches of icy waters and miles of frozen tundra before finding the plane.
Officials say a Black Hawk helicopter will be used to move the aircraft, now that bodies have been removed. The wreckage was located atop sea ice that is drifting about 5 miles (8 km) per day, complicating efforts.
Unalakleet is a community of about 690 people about 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) southeast of Nome and 395 miles (about 640 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage. The village is on the Iditarod trail, route of the world’s most famous sled dog race.
Nome is just south of the Arctic Circle and is known as the ending point of the 1,000-mile (1,610-kilometer) Iditarod.
The cause of the crash is under investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board is sending people from various states to investigate the crash.
Radar data provided by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol indicated the plane rapidly lost elevation and speed, but it is not clear why that happened, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said he was unaware of any distress signals from the aircraft. If a plane is exposed to seawater, an emergency locating transmitter sends a signal to a satellite, which then relays that message to the Coast Guard. No such messages were received by the Coast Guard.
Flying is an important mode of transportation in the largest U.S. state
Alaska’s vast landscape and limited infrastructure makes traveling by plane a common thing. Most communities are not connected to the developed road system that serves the state’s most populous region.
Some high school teams fly to sporting events against rival high schools, and goods are brought to many communities by barge or by air.
Who was on the plane?
Authorities on Saturday identified the crash victims, who ranged in age from the 34-year-old, Nome-based pilot to a 58-year-old passenger, also a resident of Nome.
Also among those killed were Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson of Anchorage, ages 46 and 41, respectively. They had traveled to Unalakleet to service a heat-recovery system vital to the community’s water plant, according to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
“At this time, our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy,” the flight operator Bering Air wrote in a statement on its website. “We recognize the profound loss this has caused, and we want to extend our sincerest condolences to everyone impacted.”
The flight company said it had set up telephone hotlines staffed with specialists to provide emotional support and updates to people who had loved ones on the flight.
Other recent U.S. plane crashes are also under investigation
The Alaska plane’s crash marks the third major U.S. aviation mishap in eight days.
A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation’s capital on Jan. 29, killing 67 people.
A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground.
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