Missing Alaska airplane vanishes mid-air sparking search for survivors: Live updates

The small plane was travelling to Nome from Unalakleet in western Alaska on Thursday night when it vanished off radars.

Exact coordinates for the aircraft are still being established, with the Coast Guard deployed to the area to specialized equipment that can ‘locate objects and people through no visibility conditions’, officials said.

Authorities said their last known contact with the pilot was when he told Anchorage Air Traffic Control that he intended to ‘enter a holding pattern’ as he waited for the runway to be cleared.

It is understood the aircraft was 12 miles off shore when contact was lost.

According to data from FlightRadar, the plane – a Cessna 208B – was last seen over the Norton Sound at 3.16pm.

Unalakleet is a small coastal region at the western end of Alaska.

The plane that disappeared Thursday night over Alaska was a Cessna 208 Grand Caravan.

The aircraft, operated by Bering, is capable of flying up to 12 passengers, and is a popular aircraft in the area used to ferry people to remote locations.

The plane is able to fly for three hours on a full tank of fuel when fully stocked before it is required to refuel.

Officials warned that severe weather is hampering their efforts to search for the Bering aircraft.

Visibility at Nome Airport was down to only half a mile on Thursday evening, and authorities said they expected wind gusts of over 35 mph.

The inclement weather meant air searches over the White Mountain were being limited, with crews also searching the waters in the Norton Sound inlet where the plane last registered.

The Coast Guard deployed a HC-130 aircraft to aid the search, which is carrying ‘specialized equipment for search and rescue that enables them to locate objects and people through no visibility conditions’, officials said.

The Norton Sound Health Corporation said it is ‘standing ready to respond to a community medical emergency’ amid the ongoing search.

‘A family center is accepting family members and loved ones in the Norton Sound Regional Hospital’s third-floor conference room,’ the institute, a small local hospital based in Nome, said on social media.

Authorities have warned well-intentioned members of the piblic not to join in the search for the missing Bering aircraft due to severe weather conditions.

‘We ask the public to please think of those who may be missing at this time, but due to weather and safety concerns please do not form individual search parties,’ the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said.

‘Families are encouraged to seek support at Norton Sound Health Corporation.’