JUNEAU, Alaska β Authorities are working to recover the wreckage of a plane crash in western Alaska that killed 10 people while investigators are trying to determine what caused the small commuter aircraft to go down in the icy Bering Sea.
The single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome when it disappeared Thursday afternoon. The Bering Air plane was found the next day after an extensive search. Nine passengers and the pilot were killed.
Crews on Saturday succeeded in recovering the remains of those killed in the crash from a drifting ice floe before the anticipated onset of high winds and snow. Here are things to know about the plane crash, which is one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in 25 years. The plane was reported missing near Nome. Officials said contact with the Cessna Caravan was lost less than an hour after it left Unalakleet on Thursday.
Authorities said the flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, and the aircraft went missing about 30 miles 48 kilometers southeast of Nome. The wreckage was found Friday by rescuers who were searching by helicopter. Local, state and federal agencies scoured large stretches of icy waters and miles of frozen tundra before finding the plane. Officials say a Black Hawk helicopter will be used to move the aircraft, now that bodies have been removed. The wreckage was located atop sea ice that is drifting about 5 miles 8 km per day, complicating efforts.
Unalakleet is a community of about people about miles about kilometers southeast of Nome and miles about kilometers northwest of Anchorage.
