February 10, 2025: Authorities have identified all ten victims of the fatal plane crash that occurred southeast of Nome, Alaska, on February 6, 2025. A Bering Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX operating as Flight 445 crashed into an ice floe in Norton Sound en route from Unalakleet to Nome.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety released the names of those who lost their lives. The pilot, Chad Antill, 34, was from Nome. The passengers included Liane Ryan, 52, and Andrew Gonzalez, 30, both from Wasilla; Donnell Erickson, 58, from Nome; Kameron Hartvigson, 41, and Rhone Baumgartner, 46, from Anchorage; Jadee Moncur, 52, from Eagle River; Ian Hofmann, 45, from Anchorage; Talaluk Katchatag, 34, from Unalakleet; and Carol Mooers, 48, also from Unalakleet.

Recovery operations faced significant challenges due to harsh weather and shifting ice. Teams from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Alaska National Guard, and Alaska State Troopers worked to retrieve the remains. Specialized aircraft, including HH-60G Pave Hawk and UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters, assisted in the mission. The victims’ bodies were transported to Nome before being sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for further examination.

Flight data indicates that the aircraft departed from Unalakleet Airport at 2:38 p.m. AKST and experienced a rapid loss of altitude and speed around 3:18 p.m. The crash site, located 34 miles southeast of Nome, was complicated by the ice floe drifting nearly five miles daily, making recovery efforts time-sensitive.

The NTSB has launched a formal investigation, with Chair Jennifer Homendy overseeing the process. She emphasized the importance of retrieving the wreckage to determine the cause of the crash, highlighting the difficulties of severe winter conditions.

Two of the victims, Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, were utility operations employees traveling to Unalakleet to assist with a water plant’s heating system, according to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

The tragedy is one of several recent aviation incidents in the U.S., underscoring ongoing safety concerns. Authorities continue to analyze the circumstances surrounding the crash to provide answers to the victims’ families and improve future flight safety measures.

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