A Cessna Caravan with 10 people on board has gone missing during a flight in Alaska, according to local authorities.
In a dispatch message shared on its website, the Alaska Department of Public Safety states that it was contacted by the 11th Air Force Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC) about an overdue aircraft on February 6, 2025, at 16:00 local time.
The missing aircraft, a Cessna 208 Caravan owned by Bering Air, was on a domestic flight from Unalakleet to Nome, with nine passengers and one pilot on board. As of February 7, 2025, the exact location of the missing aircraft remains unknown.
Alaska State Trooper crews are currently working to ascertain its final coordinates. The US Coast Guard and the Nome Volunteer Fire Department are both participating in the search, though efforts are limited to air searches due to poor weather conditions and low visibility.
The US Coast Guard announced on X that it dispatched an HC-130 Hercules airplane to look for the Cessna Caravan’s last known location. Reportedly, the aircraft was last seen 12 miles offshore when its position was lost.
“The C-130 aircraft will not land but will fly a grid pattern over the water and shoreline in attempts to locate the aircraft,” the fire department announced in the latest update. “The C-130 aircraft is equipped with specialized equipment for search and rescue that enables to locate objects and people through no visibility conditions.”
The aircraft, performing flight BRG445, departed Unalakleet Airport (UNK) at 14:39 local time. It was expected to land at Nome Airport (OME) at 16:20 local time. About 10 minutes before reaching Nome, the aircraft lost radio contact with air traffic control. The last data captured by flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed the aircraft flying at 115 mph at an altitude of 3,400 feet.
Before losing contact, the pilot informed Anchorage Air Traffic Control that he planned to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway to be cleared, as reported by the fire department.
The Nome Police Department (NPD) had previously asked local members of the community with boats to assist with the search, announcing “NPD is requesting assistance locating any community members who own a working flat bottom boat or Jon boat that can assist with search and rescue”.
