A small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska while heading to Nome, and sadly, all 10 people on board died. This crash is one of the worst in Alaska in the last 25 years. The US Coast Guard was searching for the plane when they found the wreckage on sea ice. They deployed rescue swimmers to help.
The plane was operated by Bering Air and lost contact last Thursday. It had taken off from Unalakleet with a pilot and nine passengers. A pilot expert, Patrick Sandland, believes the crash might have been caused by bad weather, describing the tough flying conditions in Alaska. He explained that cold weather can cause ice to build up on plane wings, which makes the plane harder to control.
The day of the accident, the weather forecast predicted snow and icy conditions, which could have made flying even trickier. Sandland warned that if the plane gets too much ice, it can sink slowly to the ground, making it hard for the pilot to keep it in the air.
While plane accidents like this grab attention, Sandy pointed out that they happen more often than people realize. He noted that a Facebook group used by pilots shares photos of small plane accidents all the time. People don’t usually hear about these accidents because they involve smaller planes that most people don’t use for travel.
Even with recent tragic plane crashes making headlines, Sandland sees flying as a safe way to travel. He mentioned that pilots undergo lots of training and must have many flying hours before they are allowed to fly with passengers. With tough rules in place, pilots are carefully screened for safety.
Sandland believes that the increase in focus on aviation might lead to even more regulations, but he insists flying remains much safer than other forms of travel, like cars
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