Alaska Commuter Plane Crash in the US... All 10 Passengers Dead

Only Shattered Wreckage Remains on the Snow
Difficult to Access the Interior Due to Severe Weather Conditions

A small passenger plane carrying 10 people in Alaska, USA, was found a day after going missing, but there were no survivors, according to reports.

Bering Air Cessna 208B, the same model as the accident passenger plane. Screenshot from Bering Air website

On the 7th (local time), CNN reported that the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) found the missing Bering Air passenger plane in Alaska about 55 km southeast of Nome, a city in northwest Alaska, but all 10 passengers on board were confirmed dead. The plane was a commuter aircraft, and in Alaska, small planes are used for transporting people and goods due to the mountainous terrain and harsh weather conditions.

Rescue workers confirmed that three people were found dead, and the bodies of the remaining seven are believed to be inside the wreckage. Photos released by the Coast Guard showed the aircraft shattered into pieces on snow-covered ground. However, the search team is reportedly having difficulty accessing the interior of the wreckage due to the weather.

Michael Dunleavy, Governor of Alaska, upon hearing that there were no survivors on the crashed plane, said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, and communities affected by this tragic accident," and expressed gratitude to the search teams who worked tirelessly to find the missing aircraft.

A small aircraft that went missing and was found in the state of Alaska, USA. United States Coast Guard (USCG)

The aircraft had one pilot and nine passengers on board. It went missing on the afternoon of the 6th while en route from Unalakleet, Alaska, to Nome. The last known location was over Norton Sound Bay between Unalakleet and Nome at 3:16 p.m.

The Coast Guard stated, "The aircraft was last detected about 19 km from the coast," and explained, "The plane experienced a sudden drop in altitude and speed around 3:18 p.m. on the day of the accident." The search was complicated because the aircraft's Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) did not activate. The Coast Guard and others conducted search operations, but adverse weather conditions caused delays.

Recently, there have been consecutive passenger plane accidents in the United States, increasing public anxiety. On the 29th of last month, a military helicopter and a small passenger plane collided near Washington, D.C., resulting in 67 deaths. Two days later, on the 31st, a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven people. Although there were no casualties, on the 2nd, a fire broke out on United Airlines Flight 1382 (Airbus A320) preparing for takeoff at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, causing passengers to evacuate via emergency slides. Additionally, on the 5th, a collision occurred between Japan Airlines and Delta Air Lines passenger planes on the runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state.