Bering Air Plane Goes Missing In Alaska, With 10 People Onboard

A small plane with 10 people onboard has gone missing in Alaska, over the Bering Sea. What a terrible situation…

Bering Air Cessna Caravan goes missing close to Nome

This incident happened on February 6, 2025, and involves Bering Air flight 8E445, scheduled to operate the intra-Alaska flight from Unalakleet (UNK) to Nome (OME). There were 10 people onboard, including one pilot and nine passengers. The 147-mile flight was operated by a five-year-old Cessna 208B Grand Caravan with the registration code N321BA.

The flight departed from Unalakleet at 2:37PM, and was expected to arrive in Nome at 4:20PM. However, according to Flightradar24, the plane’s last position was recorded at 3:16PM, at an altitude of roughly 5,300 feet, around 12 miles from the coast, over the Bering Sea.

At the time, the pilot had informed air traffic controllers that the plane would begin a holding pattern, while waiting for runway clearance in Nome. However, there was no further indication of an emergency. The Caravan is a popular aircraft used for service in remote areas, and it has a single engine.

Search and rescue efforts are now underway. There are US Coast Guard and US Air Force aircraft in the area, trying to find the missing plane, and any survivors.

My thoughts are with those onboard and their families.

Bering Air is a reliable airline with a spotless record

Bering Air is a fascinating little airline. The carrier has been flying since 1979, and has a fleet of 27 aircraft. The carrier’s largest base is in Nome, and it offers both scheduled and charter flights, as well as air ambulance and helicopter services. Historically, the airline has even offered flights to far eastern Russia, given its proximity to Alaska.

Currently, Bering Air serves nearly three dozen destinations in Alaska, and provides vital connectivity to so many small communities. As you might expect, operating in Alaska year-round comes with some really harsh conditions. Despite that, the airline has had a spotless safety record up until now, and obviously has expertise in operating in this challenging area.

Below is a video from a couple of years ago, which shows you the cool operations that this airline has, and the good work they do.

Bottom line

While we’ll have to mark this as “developing” for now, a Bering Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan has gone missing in Alaska, while operating a flight over the Bering Sea. The plane was last spotted 12 miles off the coast, while waiting for clearance to land in Nome, the carrier’s base. My thoughts are with all those onboard and their families.