The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, according to David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air. The aircraft was 12 miles (19 kilometers) offshore, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Bering Air plane was reported missing on its way from Unalakleet to Nome, remote communities south of the Arctic Circle.