Officials have confirmed that recovery operations are ongoing for the ten individuals who lost their lives in a recent airplane crash in Alaska. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), noted that the investigation is still in its "early stages," making it premature to determine the cause of the crash.
The incident involved a Cessna Grand Caravan, operated by Bering Air, which was flying from Unalakleet to Nome when it lost radar contact. The aircraft was carrying nine passengers and a pilot when it went down in Norton Sound, roughly 34 miles southeast of Nome, a city with a population of about 3,500 residents. Among the deceased are Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, who were employees of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, tasked with conducting maintenance work at a local water plant.
During a press conference in Anchorage, Homendy conveyed her condolences to the families affected by this tragedy, emphasizing the priority of victim recovery. The recovery teams are currently facing challenging weather conditions, compounded by the fact that the wreckage settled on a moving ice floe, which shifts about five miles per day.
Bering Air has expressed its sympathies and affirmed its commitment to cooperating with the ongoing investigation. As local authorities were alerted to an "overdue" aircraft shortly after 4 PM local time on Thursday, it became clear that the pilot had communicated intentions to enter a holding pattern while intending to wait for the runway to clear.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the plane suffered a rapid decline in altitude and speed before losing contact. Video footage from the time of the crash indicates that visibility was severely reduced in the area.
In the aftermath of the accident, Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkowski conveyed her sorrow, remarking on the close-knit nature of the community, while Governor Mike Dunleavy expressed his heartbreak over the incident. The two cities of Unalakleet and Nome are located approximately 150 miles apart across Norton Sound, a part of the Bering Sea on Alaska's western coastline.
The incident involved a Cessna Grand Caravan, operated by Bering Air, which was flying from Unalakleet to Nome when it lost radar contact. The aircraft was carrying nine passengers and a pilot when it went down in Norton Sound, roughly 34 miles southeast of Nome, a city with a population of about 3,500 residents. Among the deceased are Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, who were employees of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, tasked with conducting maintenance work at a local water plant.
During a press conference in Anchorage, Homendy conveyed her condolences to the families affected by this tragedy, emphasizing the priority of victim recovery. The recovery teams are currently facing challenging weather conditions, compounded by the fact that the wreckage settled on a moving ice floe, which shifts about five miles per day.
Bering Air has expressed its sympathies and affirmed its commitment to cooperating with the ongoing investigation. As local authorities were alerted to an "overdue" aircraft shortly after 4 PM local time on Thursday, it became clear that the pilot had communicated intentions to enter a holding pattern while intending to wait for the runway to clear.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the plane suffered a rapid decline in altitude and speed before losing contact. Video footage from the time of the crash indicates that visibility was severely reduced in the area.
In the aftermath of the accident, Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkowski conveyed her sorrow, remarking on the close-knit nature of the community, while Governor Mike Dunleavy expressed his heartbreak over the incident. The two cities of Unalakleet and Nome are located approximately 150 miles apart across Norton Sound, a part of the Bering Sea on Alaska's western coastline.
