No survivors in Bering Air plane crash in Alaska

Officials have confirmed that no survivors were found after the Bering Air plane that went missing over Alaska was discovered crashed. The aircraft was carrying 10 people on board. This marks the third fatal aviation accident in the U.S. within two weeks.

“USCG has ended its search for the missing plane after the aircraft was located approx. 34 miles southeast of Nome. 3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased,” said the Coast Guard Alaska. “The remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane.”

Bering Air Flight 445, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, vanished on Thursday afternoon while flying over the Bering Sea on a route from Unalakleet to Nome, a city located about 530 miles northwest of Anchorage. The aircraft was carrying nine passengers and one pilot.

The plane departed Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. and was last seen over the Norton Sound area of the Bering Sea at 3:16 p.m., approximately 12 miles offshore, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A search operation was launched around 4 p.m.

A photo shared by the Coast Guard showed the wreckage of the plane resting on top of the ice. The cause of the crash is under investigation, though bad weather conditions were reported at the time of the disappearance.

“From reports we have received, the crash was not survivable,” said the Nome Volunteer Fire Department. “Our thoughts are with the families at this time.”

This is Alaska’s deadliest aviation incident since 2013, when a single-engine plane operated by air charter company Rediske Air crashed on takeoff at Soldotna Airport. Similarly, nine passengers and the pilot lost their lives in that accident.

It also marks the third deadly aviation disaster in the U.S. in less than two weeks. On January 29, a collision between an American Eagle plane and a Black Hawk helicopter resulted in the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001, leaving 67 passengers, crew members, and soldiers dead when both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.

Two days later, on Friday, a medevac jet crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing all six people on board, including a pediatric patient from Mexico. The crash occurred in a busy residential and commercial area, leaving one person dead on the ground and injuring 24 others.