NOME, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) – Two passengers aboard the plane that crashed near Nome have been identified as employees of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
According to Alaska State Troopers, nine passengers and a pilot were on board the plane. Troopers added that it was a regularly scheduled flight that flies twice a day.
The Alaska Coast Guard shared that it found no survivors while searching the wreckage, located about 34 miles southeast of Nome.
“It’s not the outcome we wanted. But it’s a relief that we — that people can bring their loved ones home,” Kelsi Ivanoff, the City Administrator of Unalakleet, said. “Unalakleet’s no stranger to losing community members to plane wrecks. And I know this hits really close to home for our community.”
The plane — a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft owned by Bering Air — reportedly took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. Thursday en route to Nome when it went off radar screens at roughly 3:16 p.m.
A Coast Guard official said radar data showed that around that same time, the plane experienced “some kind of event that caused rapid loss in elevation and speed.”
In the hours after the wreckage was found, names began to emerge on who was on that plane, including two employees with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC).
Two passengers, identified as Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, both worked in utility operations for ANTHC as part of the Division of Environmental Health and Engineering team. They were traveling to Unalakleet to service a heating system that is critical to their water plant, according to ANTHC organization leaders.
Leaders of ANTHC released statements on the tragic plane crash in a press release on Friday evening.
“Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson were passionate about the work they did, cared deeply for the communities they served, and made a lasting impact on rural communities across our state. They were the best at what they did and had just flown into Unalakleet to help address heating and mechanical issues in the depths of winter. They gave the ultimate sacrifice for the people we serve in the work we do. Everyone at ANTHC feels a sense of shock and loss because they were so crucial to our Rural Energy and Tribal Support teams. My thoughts are with their families, the people who worked alongside them day in and day out, and for everyone else who lost a loved one today,” said Natasha Singh, ANTHC Interim President and CEO.
Ivanoff told KTUU that the flight from Unalakleet to Nome is a common one for many residents and Unalakleet is a small community where everybody knows everybody. She said the news has left her and others in shock.
“It’s very small, very tight-knit,” Ivanoff said. “There’s definitely gonna be connections to the aircraft, to people on the aircraft.”
That tight-knit community feel is one that Nick Hanson, known as the “Eskimo Ninja” of American Ninja Warrior fame, also feels. Hanson is from Unalakleet and his parents own the popular “Peace on Earth” restaurant in town.
“The whole Norton Sound is going to be affected by this,” Hanson said. “Whether they’re family or not, we’re all connected. We’re all just one big village.”
Following the news of the plane going missing on Thursday, the “Peace on Earth” restaurant began making pizzas for employees at Bering Air.
According to Hanson, Norton Sound Health Corporation is also providing support lines and counselors for community members.
Local officials also gave their own heartfelt sentiments. At a press conference with the National Transportation Safety Board and Alaska State Troopers, Nome Mayor John Handeland began the press conference with a personal note.
“On behalf of my fellow Nomeites, I extend our collective condolences and support to the families and loved ones of the passengers and the pilot, and the others in our big Alaska who are also impacted by this tragic occurrence,” Handeland said.
Handeland said his community held hope for different outcomes before they learned of the wreckage. Now, they’re dealing with the aftermath.
“Please give us all the needed strength to use each moment we have in the future very wisely,” Handeland said in a brief prayer. “Hug your people tonight. Tightly, and often.”
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