Pilot's haunting final message moments before plane went missing in 'Alaskan triangle'
Pilot's haunting final message moments before plane went missing in 'Alaskan triangle'
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The pilot of a plane that mysteriously disappeared in Alaska left an eerie message from the cockpit before the aircraft went off the radar last night. An urgent search was launched for the Bering Air flight after an alarm was raised when the plane was overdue at its final destination in Nome, in Alaska, from Unalakleet in the same state. Search teams were at one point forced to abandon the mission due to severe weather sweeping the region.
Just before the aircraft abruptly vanished from flight radars, the pilot had been in communication with air traffic control. According to reports, he told them he was entering a holding pattern, awaiting clearance for a runway at Nome Airport. At that moment, the remote region in Western Alaska was battling harsh weather, and officials later confirmed the aircraft's last known co-ordinates were 12 miles off the coast.
It comes after the plane was found to have vanished in the 'Triangle of Alaska' - an area notorious for mysterious disappearances, with a staggering 20,000 people having gone missing there since 1970. Dubbed the 'Bermuda Triangle of Alaska', the area is a hotspot for unexplained phenomena, including sudden disappearances, UFO sightings and even paranormal activity. The triangle is also home to some of North America's harshest wilderness, and its sparse population has only added to its eerie reputation. Across the state of Alaska, there have been a total of 2,257 aircraft crashes - an average of 112 per year.
Earlier, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a statement: "We are currently responding to a report of a missing Bering Air caravan. We are doing an active ground search from Nome and from White Mountain. Due to weather and visibility, we are limited on air search at the current time. National Guard and Coast Guard and Troopers have been notified and are active in the search. Norton Sound Health Corporation is standing by.".
The sudden disappearance of the flight is the third major incident to hit the US in just over a week. On January 29, 67 people were killed in Washington DC when an American Airlines plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter. Two days later, a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia. Six people on board were killed, as well as another on the ground. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories.
