A passenger plane with 10 people on board has gone missing in Alaska. According to Reuters on the 6th (local time), the Alaska Department of Public Safety reported that a Bering Air passenger plane, traveling from Unalakleet, Alaska to the northwestern city of Nome, went missing and search operations are underway.
The missing aircraft is a Cessna Caravan turboprop plane, carrying a total of 10 people, including 9 passengers and 1 pilot. The plane took off from Unalakleet at 2:38 PM local time and went missing 38 minutes later.
Bering Air is a regional airline in Alaska, operating around 39 aircraft and helicopters. Due to the mountainous terrain and harsh weather, small planes are often used in Alaska for transporting people and goods. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has indicated that air taxi and commuter plane accidents occur disproportionately more in Alaska compared to other U.S. states.
Previously, a small passenger plane and a military helicopter collided mid-air in Washington D.C., resulting in 67 fatalities. Additionally, two days later, an air ambulance crashed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing 7 people, including those on board and ground victims.