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Bering Air Flight 445

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Bering Air Flight 445
United States Coast Guard members investigating the wreckage of the plane
Accident
DateFebruary 6, 2025 (2025-02-06)
SummaryCrashed into ice, under investigation
SiteOver the Norton Sound, Bering Sea
Aircraft

N321BA, the aircraft involved in the accident, in November 2022
Aircraft typeCessna 208B Grand Caravan EX
OperatorBering Air
IATA flight No.8E445
ICAO flight No.BRG445
Call signBERING AIR 445
RegistrationN321BA
Flight originUnalakleet Airport, Alaska, United States
DestinationNome Airport, Alaska, United States
Occupants10
Passengers9
Crew1
Fatalities10
Survivors0

Bering Air Flight 445 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Bering Air from Unalakleet Airport to Nome Airport, in the US state of Alaska. On February 6, 2025, the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operating the flight crashed while flying over the Norton Sound. The plane's wreckage was found the next day, and all 10 occupants were found to have been killed.[1][2]

Background

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Aircraft

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The aircraft was a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX operated by Bering Air, registered as N321BA[3] with serial number 208B5613.[4] The aircraft was manufactured in 2020.[2]

Passengers and crew

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Nine passengers and one pilot, all adults[5] with ages ranging from 30 to 58 years[6] were on board the aircraft. On February 7, 2025, the Coast Guard announced that all 10 people had died in the crash.[7][8]

Two passengers were identified as utility operation employees under the division of Environmental Health and Engineering team of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. They were reportedly on a work trip to Unalakleet to assist with a heating system for a water plant.[9]

Accident

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The scheduled domestic flight, operating as Flight 445, departed from Unalakleet Airport and took off from Runway 33 at 2:38 p.m. AKST.[2] It was expected to arrive at Nome Airport at 4:20 p.m.[3][10] According to Flightradar24, the last position transmitted by the aircraft was 64°19.81′N 164°01.61′W / 64.33017°N 164.02683°W / 64.33017; -164.02683 at 3:16 p.m., with an altitude of 5,300 feet (1,615 m).[11]

The aircraft climbed to a cruising altitude of about 7,700 feet (2,347 m).[2] Prior to the disappearance on radar, the flight's pilot informed Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center that he would begin a holding pattern with the plane while waiting for the runway to be cleared.[1][12]

The flight path of Flight 445, derived from data from public ADS-B data.

Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said that no distress signals were received from the plane.[13] US Civil Air Patrol stated that around 3:18 p.m., the aircraft had undergone "some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed".[14] The Coast Guard said the plane went missing about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Nome.[6]

The aircraft was found to have crashed into an ice floe in the Norton Sound approximately 34 mi (55 km) southeast of its destination at Nome.[14][15]

Response

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The Nome Volunteer Fire Department conducted ground searches from Nome and White Mountain, but were limited in their ability to conduct air searches due to poor weather.[8] The United States Coast Guard and Air Force assisted with rescue efforts, flying over the area in order to locate the aircraft.[8] A C-130 Hercules was also dispatched by the Coast Guard from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage to search over Norton Sound.[12] Several Bering Air planes also flew over the area.[16][17] Alaska State Troopers also participated in the search.[18]

Norton Sound Health Corporation, a local hospital in Nome, issued a statement saying it was "standing ready to respond to a community medical emergency."[19]

The US Coast Guard of Alaska announced the end of the search on Twitter, upon discovering the plane's remains. It said that nobody survived the crash.[18] Recovery of the bodies of the victims was completed by February 9. Retrieval operations were affected by warnings of an upcoming winter storm and the fact that the ice floe in which the aircraft crashed was moving at a rate of about 5 miles (8 kilometers) a day.[6]

Reactions

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Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski expressed her prayers and condolences towards the passengers, those in Bering Air, as well as the community of Nome, in a post on Twitter.[18] The Governor of Alaska Mike Dunleavy as well as Alaskan Junior Senator Dan Sullivan similarly expressed their condolences on Twitter.[20][21]

Members of both the Nome and Unalakleet communities expressed grief over the accident. Unalakleet's City Administrator, Kelsi Ivanoff, stated that the city is "No stranger to losing community members to plane wrecks", and as a result, the outcome of the incident, "Hits really close to home for our community.”[22] Prayer vigils were held in Nome for the victims and search personnel on February 7.[6]

Following the announcement of the plane crash on February 7, CEO Natasha Singh and Vice President David Beveridge of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium made statements during a press conference to honour their workers who were identified as victims of the flight.[9] Bering Air set up a dedicated phone line to assist relatives of the crash victims.[6]

Investigation

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that they would launch an investigation into the cause of the fatal crash. Clint Johnson, chief of the NTSB Alaska region, stated saying "We are very much in the preliminary stages of this investigation" at a news briefing, and that the agency was well-aware of the crash and have been monitoring developments. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy travelled to Alaska in the weekend following the crash, and spoke with reporters at a press briefing in Anchorage.[5][23][24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Yoon, John (February 7, 2025). "Small Plane With 10 Dead Found Crashed in Alaska". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Ranter, Harro. "Accident Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX N321BA, Thursday 6 February 2025". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "N321BA - Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX - Bering Air". Flightradar24. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  4. ^ "FAA Registry". United States Department of Transportation. Faa.gov. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Moore, Jack; Haworth, Jon; Deliso, Meredith. "Wreckage of missing Alaska plane located, all 10 believed to be dead: Coast Guard". ABC News.
  6. ^ a b c d e Bohrer, Becky; Golden, Hallie (February 9, 2025). "The remains of all 10 people killed in Alaska plane crash have been recovered, authorities say". AP News. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  7. ^ "Missing Alaska plane found with three confirmed dead - US Coast Guard". BBC. February 7, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Yeung, Emma Tucker, Rebekah Riess, Jessie (February 7, 2025). "Alaska plane that disappeared with 10 people aboard has been found with no survivors, officials say". CNN. Retrieved February 8, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b Thom, Leah (February 8, 2025). "Victim's names emerging in fatal plane crash near Nome". Alaska's News Source. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  10. ^ Townsend, Ben (February 6, 2025). "Search underway for overdue passenger flight bound for Nome with 10 aboard". Alaska Public. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  11. ^ "Search intensifies for Alaska flight that disappeared carrying 10 people near Nome. Here's what we know". Yahoo News. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Major search launched as Bering Air plane goes missing in Alaska with 10 onboard". The Independent. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  13. ^ "Discovery made in search for missing plane in Alaska". BreakingNews.ie. February 8, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Missing Bering Air plane found off Alaska coast, all 10 on board dead". ABC News. ABC News Australia. February 8, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  15. ^ "Villagers offer support for a critical lifeline in rural Alaska days after plane crash kills 10". AP News. February 11, 2025. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  16. ^ "8E930 (BRG930) Bering Air Flight Tracking and History". FlightAware. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  17. ^ "Follow Flight 8E931 on AirNav Radar". AirNav Radar. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c Liddell, James; Rissman, Kelly; Bedigan, Mike (February 7, 2025). "Alaska plane crash updates: No survivors after missing plane found outside of Nome". The Independent. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  19. ^ Klecka, Joey (February 6, 2025). "Report: Plane with 10 onboard missing near Nome". Alaska's News Source.
  20. ^ Dunleavy, Mike [@GovDunleavy] (February 7, 2025). "Rose and I are heartbroken by the loss of the 10 people on the Bering Air flight. Our prayers are with the families, friends, and communities mourning this tragedy. We are grateful to the search teams who worked tirelessly to locate the aircraft. I ask all Alaskans to keep those affected in their thoughts and prayers" (Tweet). Retrieved February 8, 2025 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Sullivan, Dan [@SenDanSullivan] (February 6, 2025). "We are hearing reports of a possible missing plane en route to Nome. Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers, their families and the rescue crew" (Tweet). Retrieved February 8, 2025 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Nordyke, Olivia; Fernandez, Georgina (February 8, 2025). "'Just one big village': Communities react to fatal Bering Air plane crash". Alaska's News Source. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  23. ^ Nguyen, Thao; Cann, Christopher; Santucci, Jeanine; Arshad, Minnah. "Coast Guard finds missing plane in Alaska ice; 10 believed dead. Recap". USA Today. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  24. ^ Townsend, Ben (February 8, 2025). "Names of victims released in Bering Air crash". KNOM Radio Mission. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
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