We’d hoped the slew of recent plane crashes was just a blip, but sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Another plane has gone missing near Nome, Alaska and is believed to have crashed. The plane, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, was flying from Unalakleet to Nome on Thursday afternoon when it presumably went down with 10 people on board, Alaska’s News Source reports.
The plane, which is owned by Bering Air, took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. local time, and it was last seen on radar at 3:16 p.m. over the Norton Sound, the body of water separating the two cities. Authorities say they believe the plane went down close to the coast, somewhere between Nome and Topkok, and are actively searching the area.
“They’re prepared to be out all night, they will search here until they find them or somebody else finds them,” White Mountain fire chief Jack Adams told ANS yesterday. “If they don’t find anything, we’ll probably rally another crew to go and help.”
Unfortunately for any possible survivors, the sea ice is reportedly “kind of jumbled” and difficult to navigate, leaving ground crews to use the Iditarod trail instead. If the plane went down over land, or they were somehow able to make it to land, their odds of being found are much higher, although that doesn’t mean they actually are high. Some parts of the U.S. are already warming up for spring, but the high near Nome today is in the single digits, and surviving temperatures that cold would be difficult without proper equipment even in the best of conditions.
Aircrews have also had to deal with inclement weather and poor visibility frustrating their searches. “Word is, all the aircraft are grounded, there’s zero visibility. Basically, you can’t see anything from the air or the ground, and in the dark looking for something in zero visibility is a tough job,” Adams told ANS. Other groups have joined in the search, though, using personal vehicles and snow machines to traverse the rough terrain.
Authorities are warning private individuals not to attempt their own search and rescue efforts, though, with a Facebook message to locals saying, “We ask the public to please think of those who may be missing at this time, but due to weather and safety concerns please do not form individual search parties.” That may be frustrating to hear, but if someone else gets lost or injured out there, not only could they die, but they could also slow down rescue efforts reaching any possible survivors from the plane crash.
While hope is fading, the Air Force has offered its support, while the Coast Guard has already deployed a C-130 equipped for search and rescue. If they’re out there, fingers crossed they’re found soon, because time is definitely running out.
