The US Coast Guard found the remains of a plane that disappeared with 10 people aboard Alaska, in the northwest of the country, and it is ruled out that there are survivors.
A small passenger plane that crashed in western Alaska when it was heading to the central community of Nome was located on Friday on sea ice and the 10 people on board died, authorities reported.
Mike Salerno, spokesman for the United States Coast Guard, said the rescue teams were looking for the last known location of the helicopter aircraft when they saw the remains. Two rescue swimmers descended to investigate.
Bering Air's Monomotor TurboHeric aircraft traveled from Unalakleet on Thursday afternoon with nine passengers and a pilot, according to the Alaska Public Security Department.
Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 14:37 in the afternoon, and the authorities lost contact with him less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of Oring Air operations. There was light snow and fog, with a temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius below zero (17 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the National Meteorological Service.
The officials lost contact with the plane less than an hour later. The Coast Guard said the plane disappeared about 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Nome. The plane was 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the coast, according to the guards.
It was operating at its maximum passenger capacity, according to the description of the plane made by the airline.
Forensic radar data provided by the United States Civil Air Patrol indicated that about 3:18 p.m. on Thursday, the plane had “some type of event that made them experience a rapid loss of elevation and rapid speed loss ”Said Lieutenant Coast Guard Commander Benjamin McIntyre-Coble. “What is that event, you can't speculate.”
McIntyre-coble indicated that he had no knowledge of any aircraft relief signal. Airplanes carry an emergency location transmitter. If it is exposed to sea water, the device sends a signal to a satellite, which in turn broadcasts that message to the Coast Guard to indicate that a plane can be in danger. The coastguards have not received any message of this type.
According to Lieutenant Ben Endres, from the Alaska State Police, the 10 people who were aboard the plane were adults and it was a regular short distance flight.
The disappearance of the plane is the third important mishap of American aviation in eight days. On January 29, a commercial plane and an army helicopter collided near the capital of the country, killing 67 people. A medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, killing the six people on board and another person on land.
Most Alaska communities are not connected to the main road network, and the plane is usually the only option to travel any distance in rural areas, especially in winter.