A Bering plane like that missing in Alaska. Photo Credit Flickr Maarten-sr
Official search crews have been scouring the frozen tundra and Bering Sea in Alaska on Friday for the missing plane, carrying 9 passengers and a pilot.
Authorities have released an update to say that an aircraft not associated with the official search efforts has found an Item of interest, Coast Guard Lt. Commander McIntyre Cobel did not share specifics but said that authorities have sent their own plane to confirm if the item is the missing plane. The Lt. Commander also said that the Bering aircraft had experienced “some kind of an event” that caused the aircraft to rapidly lose altitude and speed.
It has been reported that the pilot sent a final message before the plane disappeared. Although officially the last message by the pilot was to say he was entering a holding pattern whilst he waited to land. Names of the flights’ passengers have not been released but their families have been notified.
A routine flight that was waiting to land gone terribly wrong
The Cessna Caravan, a Bering Aircraft went down on a routine flight between Unalakleet and Nome, a distance of 150 miles separates the two places. The plane left Unalakleet at 2.37pm on Thursday, under an hour after it left officials lost contact with the light aircraft. The normal duration of the flight is 55 minutes. The coast guard have said it was only 12 miles offshore flying over the Norton Sound when it disappeared.
Searches have been hindered by terrible weather and bitter temperatures in the icy tundra, although the Coast Guard and Airforce have both sent out aircrafts and teams.
The search continues with officials fighting against horrendous weather condition and freezing temperatures
Search teams continue in their mission to find the missing plane despite horrendous weather. Nome Volunteer Fire Department issued a statement about growing rescue efforts in the area “This morning we are engaged with renewed resources for increasing search coverage in the daylight hours. Last night the final report of the C-130 planes resulted with no sightings. This morning the local National Guard has been approved to fly and has launched in the Blackhawk. The Coast Guard from Kodiak is route to return to the area with a helicopter. They have also landed in Nome another C-130.”
They also confirmed a larger ground-based search crew would be moving to the coast to cover ground inland, that the FBI had been trying to locate the group using mobile phone tracking. “Bering Air is ready to launch a King Air and helicopter support, but is letting Coast Guard maintain the airspace”
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