.jpeg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C300%2C0%2C300%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
Alaska missing plane: What happened to the vanished Bering air flight near Nome
Rescue crews are in a race against time to find survivors aboard the Bering Air Flight 445 and are working in 'zero visibility conditions.'
The small aircraft, operated by Bering Air, was reported missing just before 4 p.m. local time en route from Unalakleet to Nome on Alaska 's west coast.
Search and rescue crews have been working through the night to locate the passengers and the pilot but are battling snow, bitter winds and fog.
The disappearance of the plane comes as air safety investigators continue to probe two deadly crashes in the last 10 days. A mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., took the lives of 67 people last Wednesday, and two days later, a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, killing seven people, including all six passengers on board.
Here is what we know about the missing Alaska plane so far
What happened?
Nine passengers and a pilot were on board the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft on Bering Air Flight 445.
The plane took off from the small city of Unalakleet, which has a community of just over 700, on the west coast of Alaska at 2:37 p.m. local time Thursday. Officials lost contact with the aircraft less than an hour later, according to the director of operations for Bering Air, David Olson, and went off radio roughly 10 minutes before its scheduled arrival in the small coastal city of Nome.
The flight time is usually 55 minutes. It was approximately 12 miles offshore flying over the Norton Sound when it disappeared, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to officials, the plane pilot told air traffic control in Anchorage, the state's largest city, that he had intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway in Nome to be cleared before the aircraft disappeared.
Search and rescue operation in difficult conditions
Crews are now in a race against time to find the passengers and have been scouring the ground in Nome and the White Mountains. White Mountain Fire Chief Jack Adams said crews were prepared to be out all night.
'They will search here until they find them or somebody else finds them,' Adams told Alaska's KTUU on Thursday. 'If they don't find anything, we'll probably rally another crew to go and help.'
Adams said that crews are 'hoping' that the plane is on land and described the sea as 'jumbled' because of the ice. 'Being in the water would be the worst-case scenario,' he said.
The latest update from the Nome Volunteer Fire Department at 12.30 a.m. local time was that crews were still searching. An update is due at 9 a.m. local time, the department said.
Volunteers with the department were out on snow machines on Thursday night but faced difficult conditions because of the weather, creating low visibility. Light snow and freezing drizzle were seen around Nome Airport on Thursday evening, with visibility down to only half a mile at its worst.
The Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force stepped in with the search mission as reinforcements but 'reported they found nothing found so far,' the fire department said in an update.
Who was aboard the flight?
The names of those aboard the flight have not been released.
It is a small aircraft carrying 10 people, including the pilot. Flights from Unalakleet to Nome depart daily Monday to Saturday, according to Bering's flight schedule.
Alaska Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski said their 'prayers' were with the passengers, families, crew, and community of Nome in social media posts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Night vision goggles may have hindered helicopter pilots before DC jet collision that killed 67, experts say
Night vision goggles may have hindered the U.S. Army helicopter pilots in the moments before the deadly crash with a jet in Washington D.C., that claimed the lives of 67 people, experts have said. The technology, worn by the pilots, would have made it difficult to see the color of the lights on the passenger plane, which could have helped determine the direction in which it was traveling, as well as limiting peripheral vision. Friday saw the final day of public testimony to the National Transportation Safety Board over the fatal midair crash – which occurred almost exactly six months ago in February. Flight 5342 from Kansas was on the final approach to D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter before exploding. There were 67 people aboard the two flights when they crashed, and none survived. At Friday's hearing, experts said that, in addition to the possible hindrance caused by the use of night vision goggles, pilots also may not have been able to distinguish the aircraft from lights on the ground while the two aircraft were on a collision course. The helicopter pilots may not have known where to look for a plane that was landing on a secondary runway that most planes didn't use, experts said. 'Knowing where to look. That's key,' said Stephen Casner, an expert in human factors who used to work at NASA. Though it is still too early to identify what exactly caused the crash, with a final report from the board expected next year, a number of factors that may have contributed to the tragedy have been unearthed over the past two days of testimony. Major issues to emerge included the fact that the Black Hawk helicopter had been above prescribed levels near the airport as well as the warnings to FAA officials for years about the hazards related to the heavy chopper traffic there. Mary Schiavo, a former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General, told The Associated Press that both the Army and the FAA appear to share significant blame for the deadly incident. The Black Hawks' altimeters could be off by as much as 100 feet and were still considered acceptable, she told the outlet. The crew was flying an outdated model that struggled to maintain altitude, while the helicopter pilots' flying was 'loose' and under 'loose' supervision. 'It's on the individuals, God rest their souls, but it's also on the military,' Schiavo said. 'I mean, they just seem to have no urgency of anything.' Questions were also raised during the hearings by the FAA's lack of alcohol testing for air traffic controllers after the crash. Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy urged the Federal Aviation Administration to 'do better" as she pointed to warnings the agency had ignored years earlier. The D.C. collision was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Horrifying new video showing Black Hawk's deadly mid-air crash with American Airlines jet is played at hearing as final words of chopper pilot are revealed
A horrifying video showing the moment a US Army Black Hawk helicopter smashed into a passenger jet over Washington, DC, has been released, as investigators reveal the final words of the doomed crew. The footage, captured by CCTV and played at the start of a three-day National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing, shows a bright flash lighting up the night sky above the Potomac River. Seconds earlier, the military chopper had collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 as it descended into Reagan National Airport. The Bombardier CRJ700 had been flying from Wichita, Kansas, on January 29 and was just minutes from landing when it was hit. All 67 people on board the two aircraft were killed, including 63 passengers and crew on the jet and four helicopter crew members, marking the deadliest US airline crash in more than two decades. The Black Hawk, operating as Priority Air Transport 25, had been on a low-level training mission and was flying back to Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Investigators now believe the crew thought they were flying 100 feet higher than they actually were due to faulty altimeter readings. The NTSB revealed that about three minutes before the crash, Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves told co-pilot Capt. Rebecca Lobach to 'come down for me' and fly at 200 feet because they were currently at 300 feet. The footage was captured by CCTV and played at the start of a three-day National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing All 67 people on board the two aircraft were killed, including 63 passengers and crew on the jet and four helicopter crew members The route down the river on which the chopper was on has a maximum altitude of 200 feet near the airport, according to the NTSB's presentation. Two minutes before impact, air traffic control warned them about the approaching passenger plane. A second warning followed 90 seconds later. In both times, the helicopter crew told controllers they could see the jet and asked for 'visual separation' to allow them to navigate around the flight. The controller also told the helicopter to pass behind the passenger plane, but that instruction was not heard by the crew. Twenty seconds before the crash, Eaves said: 'Alright, kinda come left for me ma'am, I think that's why he's asking.' Lobach replied: 'Sure.' Eaves added: 'We're kinda out towards the middle.' Lobach responded: 'Okay fine.' The helicopter and the jet collided at 8:48pm, causing a bright fiery flash in the night sky. Meanwhile, in the American Airlines cockpit, the pilots used expletives when they saw the impending crash and attempted to pull the plane up just seconds before. NTSB investigators later carried out test flights using three similar helicopters over the Potomac. They found that downwash from the rotor blades consistently interfered with barometric altimeter readings, making it appear they were higher than they really were. The board also heard the Black Hawk crew had been suffering from burnout, raising fresh concerns about their decision-making on the night of the crash. Air traffic controllers have also come under scrutiny following reports that there were staffing problems at the airport on the day of the crash. Thousands of pages of records have now been made publicly available as part of the investigations.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Last conversation between Army helicopter pilot and instructor revealed before fatal American Airlines crash
New details have been disclosed about the final moments before an Army helicopter collided in mid-air with an American Airlines passenger jet in January over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Thousands of pages of records have been released publicly as part of the government's ongoing investigation into the crash, which resulted in 67 deaths. The information raises further questions about whether the crew of the Black Hawk helicopter was aware of its actual altitude and whether it was on a collision course with the Bombardier CRJ700 jet. Included in the newly released records are the final words spoken by two members of the Army helicopter crew, Capt. Rebecca Lobach and her instructor, Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves. The National Transportation Safety Board started a three-day hearing on Wednesday (July 30) about the January 29 crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. There were emotional moments as family members of the victims broke down upon hearing some of the details. All 64 people on American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, were killed along with the three crew members on the military aircraft. Culpability for the accident remains unclear, with questions about whether the collision was due to a mistake by the helicopter crew or if other factors contributed to the incident. Air traffic controllers have also come under scrutiny for their decisions amid reports of staffing issues at Reagan National Airport that day. Helicopters have long flown near the airport, which is known for its notorious congestion. An 11-minute presentation and animation by the NTSB illustrated the circumstances that led to the crash and confirmed details already released by the authorities. The American Airlines pilots were instructed to switch runways approximately five minutes before landing, which they did. Reagan has three runways, the longest (the busiest in the nation) runs parallel to the river, with two shorter runways intersecting it at angles. The pilots were instructed to realign with the northern of the two shorter strips. Meanwhile, the helicopter was flying back to Fort Belvoir in Virginia as part of a night evaluation of Capt. Lobach under the instruction of Eaves. Staff Sgt. Ryan O'Hara was also on board. According to the NTSB presentation, the route down the river on which the helicopter was flying has a maximum altitude of 200 feet near the airport. However, the aircraft continued to fly above that level, reaching heights of more than 300 feet. Officials stated that the crew appeared to believe they were much lower than that, at times claiming they were about 100 feet below their actual altitude. One reason could be because of an error with their altimeter. About three minutes before the crash, Eaves told Lobach to 'come down for me' and fly at 200 feet because they were at 300 feet, the presentation revealed. Two minutes before the crash, an air traffic controller warned them about the approaching passenger plane. Another warning followed 90 seconds later. Both times, the helicopter crew confirmed they could see the plane. They requested 'visual separation,' allowing them to navigate around the incoming flight. The second time, the controller instructed the helicopter to pass behind the passenger plane, but the helicopter crew had keyed its microphone — pushed the button to talk — at the same time as the controller and never heard the instruction, according to the flight recorder. Twenty seconds before the crash, Eaves told Lobach: 'Alright, kinda come left for me ma'am, I think that's why he's asking.' She replied: 'Sure.' Eaves said: 'We're kinda out towards the middle.' Lobach responded: 'Okay fine.' The Black Hawk was at 270 feet above the river, and the American Airlines plane continued its landing approach, passing through 320 feet in altitude. They collided at 8:48 p.m. in a fiery explosion, shown in newly released security camera footage. Investigators stated in the hearing that the helicopter crew had no prior knowledge of the impending crash. In the cockpit of the American Airlines jet, the pilots used expletives and tried to pull the plane up in the seconds before. Part of the investigation focused on testing the helicopter altimeter, a report on which indicated potential discrepancies between the barometric altitude and the radio altitude. A test flight over the Potomac revealed that the barometric altitude was consistently about 100 feet lower than the radio and geometric altitudes over the water. Additionally, the barometric altimeter was obscured during the helicopter flight. To address this, Senator Ted Cruz has introduced legislation called 'The Rotor Act,' which requires all aircraft to transmit their location to other aircraft and air traffic controllers — a system known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B). This is currently only required on aircraft that fly above 18,000 feet, though some aircraft, including those operated by the military, are exempt from ADS-B for security reasons. The NTSB recommended that the FAA require ADS-B on all aircraft as long ago as 2008. 'The mistake was that this was not unforeseen. We had 84 near misses in the three years before in the D.C. airspace, and no one did anything,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters. 'Someone was asleep at the wheel. Someone should have seen that.' The three-day hearing will also include an examination of FAA oversight of Washington airspace.
