Authorities have recovered the remains of all 10 victims from the wreckage of a regional single-engine aircraft that crashed into the Bering Sea near Alaska. The devastating accident, which took place on Thursday afternoon, has been labeled one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in the last 25 years.
Recovery Efforts and Aircraft Retrieval
The ill-fated turboprop plane, operated by Bering Air, was en route from Unalakleet to Nome when it disappeared. The wreckage was later discovered on an ice floe drifting approximately five miles (eight kilometers) per day. The Nome Volunteer Fire Department confirmed on Facebook that all 10 individuals aboard had been “officially brought home,” while efforts to recover the aircraft are still underway.
Officials have stated that a Black Hawk helicopter will now be deployed to retrieve the wreckage, which remains in the icy waters. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory, warning of snow and winds reaching 45 mph (72 kph), which could impact ongoing recovery operations.
Victims and Investigation Underway
Among those who perished was the pilot, 34-year-old Chad Antill of Nome. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched investigators from multiple states to determine the cause of the crash.
Radar data provided by the US Civil Air Patrol indicated that the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of altitude and speed before crashing. However, officials are still uncertain about the exact cause. The US Coast Guard stated that no distress signal was detected from the plane’s emergency locator transmitter, which is designed to activate upon contact with seawater.
Aviation Safety Concerns
The Alaska crash is the third major aviation disaster in the United States within eight days. On January 31, a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing all six people on board, along with one individual on the ground. Just days earlier, on January 29, a commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near Washington, D.C., claiming 67 lives.
Sources By Agencies
