Authorities have identified 10 people, including the pilot and nine passengers. They were killed on a small aircraft that first disappeared before colliding on sea ice off the west coast of Alaska this week.
The bodies of the victims on the fateful Bering flight were found on Friday along with the remains of the plane by rescuers who washed away the last known location of the aircraft before it disappeared on Thursday. Alaska Public Safety Bureau.
The pilot was identified as Chad Antille, 34, of Norm, police said.
Liane Ryan, 52, and Liane Ryan, 30, of Andrew Gonzalez, were identified as passengers, in addition to local people Kameron Hartvigson (41, Ian Hofman, 45, Rhone Baumgartner, 46).
The remaining passengers include Donnell Erickson, 58, of Nome. Jadee Moncur, 52, of Eagle River. Talaluk Katchatag, 34, and Carol Mooeres, 48, a resident of Unalakleet, said.
The bodies will be transported to the state medical inspector's office in Anchorage for autopsy, officials said.
Baumgartner and Hartvigson both work in the utility operations of the Alaska Tribal Heath Consortium and were on a work trip when they boarded the flight, the organization confirmed Saturday morning.
The Cessna Caravan left Unalakreet around 2:37pm on Thursday, heading for Gnome about 150 miles away, but lost contact with staff less than an hour later.
Officials on Friday said the single-engine plane with maximum capacity was experiencing “rapid losses” at about 12 miles offshore at around 3:18pm.
Local, state and federal agencies supported the search efforts and later found the remains on frigid waters southwest of their destination, only 34 miles away.
The Alaska crash was the third major fatal aviation accident, making headlines over eight days.
American Airlines flights collided with the Army Blackhawk near Reagan National Airport in Virginia on January 29th, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.
Two days later, Medevac Jet crashed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing all six people on the flight, along with those on the ground.
