Ten Dead In Alaska Caravan Crash

Plane went down in fog on sea ice about 12 miles offshore.

Coast Guard photo

All ten people aboard a Bering Air Cessna Grand Caravan died when the plane crashed on sea ice about 30 miles southeast of Nome, Alaska, on Thursday. The Coast Guard found the wreckage on Friday afternoon. It was about 12 miles offshore. The plane had "some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed," Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin McIntyre-Coble said. "What that event is, I can't speculate to."

There were reports the flight was in a hold offshore to allow snow removal from the runway at Nome. Weather Underground reports the weather in Nome around the time the plane disappeared was 15 degrees F with a dewpoint of 10 degrees and humidity at 84%. All nine passengers were adults.

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.