A plane carrying 10 people went missing in a remote region along the western coast of Alaska on Thursday, setting off a search amid poor weather conditions, officials said.
The Cessna 208 Caravan, on Bering Air Flight 445, left Unalakleet, Alaska, about 2:40 p.m. local time, said David Olson, the airline’s director of operations. The plane went off the radar and lost radio contact with air traffic control and the airline around 3:20 p.m., roughly 10 minutes before it was scheduled to arrive in Nome, he said.
A pilot and nine passengers were onboard, Mr. Olson said, adding that no names would be immediately released.
Search crews and aircraft from the Coast Guard, the National Guard and the U.S. Air Force were working to locate the plane, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said. Nome is home to fewer than 4,000 people, and Unalakleet about 700.
Before the plane disappeared, its pilot told air traffic control in Anchorage that he had intended to enter a holding pattern while waiting for the runway in Nome to be cleared, according to the fire department.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement that it was monitoring the situation. The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story.
