Alaska crews race against weather to recover plane crash victims; 2 passengers identified
As authorities continue to investigate the tragic crash of a commuter plane off the coast of Alaska, two of the individuals aboard the aircraft have been identified. Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson were passengers on the flight to Nome, where they were traveling to work on a heat recovery system servicing the community’s water plant.
The identities of the other passengers and the pilot, who all tragically lost their lives in the crash, have not yet been released. The Bering Air plane, carrying a total of 10 people, disappeared about 12 miles offshore and was later found on sea ice about 30 miles southeast of Nome by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Sadly, three bodies were found inside the wreckage of the aircraft, with the remaining seven believed to be inaccessible due to the condition of the plane. The severity of the wreckage was deemed beyond the possibility of survival, but an “item of interest” related to the search was recovered by the Coast Guard.
The flight, which went missing on Thursday afternoon, was regularly scheduled and last reported over Norton Sound just after 3:15 p.m. local time. Data from FlightRadar showed a rapid loss in elevation and speed for the aircraft at 3:18 p.m., but the reason for this sudden change is still unknown. No distress signals were relayed by the pilot.
The Federal Aviation Administration has dispatched an investigator from the Aviation Safety Office of Accident and Prevention to look into the crash, with the Department of Transportation offering full support for the ongoing investigation. This tragic incident marks the third fatal plane collision in the U.S. within just eight days, highlighting the importance of aviation safety and oversight.
As the Alaska Department of Public Safety continues to work with the Coast Guard and other agencies in the aftermath of the crash, our thoughts and condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this heartbreaking tragedy.
