Small commercial plane carrying 10 reported missing in Alaska; US Coast Guard joins search

WASHINGTON — Crews in Alaska are searching for a small commercial plane that went missing with 10 people on board, according to local authorities, in the latest US air incident.

The Bering Air Caravan with nine passengers and one pilot on board was reported overdue yesterday on a flight from Unalakleet to Nome at 4:00 pm Alaska Standard Time (0100 GMT), Alaska state police says.

The two cities are located roughly 235 kilometers (146 miles) apart from each other across the Norton Sound, on the state’s west coast.

Nome’s volunteer fire department says in a Facebook post that “the pilot of the plane told Anchorage air traffic control that “he intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway to be cleared” before disappearing.

The department adds that the US Coast Guard has dispatched a C-130 plane to assist ground crews in locating the missing craft.

The plane’s last known position transmitted on FlightRadar24 was over the water around 40 minutes after takeoff.

The missing flight is the latest incident in a recent string of aviation disasters in the United States.