Monday, February 10, 2025

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Photo: Residents of Nome fill the cavernous walls of Old St. Joe’s Church as church leaders stand on stage. (Photo: Ben Townsend / KNOM)

Investigators are still determining what caused the Bering Air plane crash near Nome, Alaska, on Thursday that killed all 10 people on board.

Over the weekend, crews retrieved pieces of the wreckage from an ice floe.

And, as KNOM’s Ben Townsend reports, Alaskans joined together to mourn the lives lost in one of the state’s deadliest plane crashes in recent decades.

Crews had to act fast over the weekend to get to the crash site before a storm closed in on the region.

The Coast Guard says the Cessna Caravan, which was traveling from Unalakleet, crashed on an ice floe 34 miles from Nome, killing the pilot and all nine passengers on board.

Nome Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jim West Jr. says he stressed over who to send to assist in the recovery because several of the first responders knew the victims.

“The number of bodies out there or casualties, things like that affect people differently. Do we sacrifice ourselves for the younger crew that’s coming up? I mean, we’ve been through it, we’ve seen it, we’ve dealt with it. They haven’t.”

Crews were able to retrieve the bodies of all 10 victims before freezing rain and high winds hit.

Helicopters were seen bringing pieces of the plane back to Nome throughout the afternoon Saturday.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said it’s too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.

NTSB officials will travel to Nome to inspect the plane parts.

“What we want to do is get that wreckage so that we can examine it ourselves,”

At a vigil Saturday night, Unalakleet resident Tony Haugen reflected on the impact of the crash.

“When the region has something that occurs like this here, it doesn’t only affect one community. We feel the pain regionwide.”

Troopers have named the 10 victims, who range in age from 30 to 58.

Two were from Nome, including the pilot.

Two were from Unalakleet, and six were from Southcentral Alaska.

The 10 Alaskans killed in the plane crash near Nome Thursday include a mentor to new teachers, a school counselor, and two employees with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium who were traveling to service a local water plant.

Alena Naiden, Alaska Desk reporter for our flagship station KNBA, has more.

The plane was on its way from Unalakleet when it quickly lost elevation over the sea ice.

As the investigation into the cause of the crash continues, family, friends, and colleagues of the victims are sharing stories of the lives lost.

Here’s what we know so far about the Alaskans on board Bering Air flight 445.

If you would like to share memories of any of those on board the flight for this story, please reach out to reporter Alena Naiden at anaiden@alaskapublic.org.

Rhone Baumgartner, 46, Anchorage

Rhone Baumgartner was one of two Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) employees on the flight who had traveled to Unalakleet to service the water plant.

David Beveridge, a vice president of ANTHC’s Division of Environmental Health and Engineering, said that both Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, the other ANTHC employee, were motivated by a commitment to the health organization’s mission.

“They had the skills to help people across Alaska and the devotion to do so under any conditions. These two members of our team lost their lives serving others. The loss of these two incredible individuals and everyone else on board the plane will be felt all over Alaska.”

Natasha Singh, ANTHC interim president and CEO, also said that Baumgartner and Hartvigson were passionate about the work they did and the communities they served.

“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.”

Baumgartner’s family asked for privacy during their grieving time.

Donnell Erickson, 58, Nome

Donnell Erickson was a Bering Strait School District mechanic who serviced school and city vehicles in Unalakleet, said Warren Katchatag, a Unalakleet resident and janitor at the local school who used to work with him.

Nome resident Michael Nichols also worked with Erickson.

“I was a fuel truck driver, and he was a mechanic. He took care of the whole fleet and, not just here in Nome, but he actually traveled around the village taking care of a lot of stuff. Really good guy.”

Kameron Hartvigson, 41, Anchorage

Kameron Hartvigson, the ANTHC employee, was also a father of two boys, said his friend Michelle Russo.

“His boys were his entire world, and every decision he made was rooted in his love for them.”

Russo said Hartvigson was known for being kind, generous and open.

“Kameron lived with an openness and sincerity that made everyone around him feel valued and loved. Those who knew him will forever remember his ability to make people feel seen, his unwavering support for those he cared about, and the warmth he brought into every space he entered.”

Talaluk Driscoll LaRoi Katchatag, 34, Unalakleet

Talaluk Driscoll LaRoi Katchatag, known as TK by many, was a soft-spoken, wise and strong man who loved his family, his sister AyyuSue Katchatag said.

“Not only strong in stature, but in mind, and spirit. His soul was genuine, and he lived life so matter of factly.”

His ex-wife Rachel Frankson described him as a strong-willed, hardworking and loving person, dedicated to his children.

“He worked hard. He loved hard. My kids loved him with their whole heart and the news of this has been devastating for them.”

Carol Mooers, 48, Unalakleet

Carol Mooers was a counselor at the school in Unalakleet, where Kelsi Ivanoff is the city administrator

“Carol contributed so much to our school and community. She was a pillar in our school, advocating for healthy minds and bodies for our youth. If there was a school event, you can guarantee she was there.”

Mooers supported students in all the ways she could — creating activities for them, fundraising, and making sure every child had food to eat, Teri Paniptchuk said.

“She always made sure that our kids here were taken care of. If needed she would be there right away to comfort our kids if they were having a hard day. Carol is one that we will never be able to forget.”

Liane Ryan, 52, Wasilla

Liane Ryan was a retired teacher with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District who visited rural Alaska schools to support new educators in the first years of their careers.

Warren Katchatag, the school janitor, said Ryan was mentoring the school’s fifth-grade teacher.

“She was always so friendly and always smiling and down-to-earth. She will be greatly missed at the school.”

Ryan was also a board member, volunteer, and participant of the Why Not Tri, a triathlon in the Mat-Su Borough. The organization that run the triathlon honored Ryan on its Facebook page.

“As a former board member, her dedication and impact will always be remembered.”

The other Alaskans who died in the plane crash are 34-year-old Bering Air pilot Chad Antill of Nome, 30-year-old Andrew Gonzalez of Wasilla, 45-year-old Ian Hofmann of Anchorage, and 52-year-old Jadee Moncur of Eagle River.

Attempts to reach their relatives and friends were unsuccessful as of Saturday.

The State of Indian Nations is strong and is on the rise says National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro.

He delivered the annual Indian nations address on Monday to tribal leaders who are gathered in Washington, D.C.

President Macarro says the first few weeks of the new presidential administration has been tumultuous, but he says Indian Country has the tools to work together – and leaders need to focus on defending tribal rights and holding the government accountable.

“I strongly affirm it’s time to speak up, it’s time to stand up tribal leadership must hold the federal government accountable for these commitments that’s why we are here.”

Tribal leaders are attending NCAI’s legislative winter session, which wraps up on Thursday.

Singer Buffy Sainte-Marie has been stripped of the Order of Canada.

As Dan Karpenchuk reports, it comes a year after a CBC investigation that found her claims of Indigenous ancestry were not consistent with public documents.

The Order of Canada is an award that recognizes people who have made a significant contribution to the country. It is presented by the governor general of Canada.

In its more than 50-year history, only eight people have been expelled from the order.

Sainte-Marie becomes the ninth.

Her award was terminated nearly 30 years after she was appointed in 1997.

The investigation found that that St. Marie’s birth certificate shows that she was born in Massachusetts in 1941 of white parents and witnessed by an attending physician.

That’s also reaffirmed by a marriage certificate, the U.S. census, and a life insurance policy.

Sainte-Marie has faced these accusations before, but said in the past that she did not misrepresent herself.

“I’m an artist, an activist, a mom, a survivor, and a proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada.”

She also claimed the documentary was full of mistakes and omissions.

In a written statement, she said being an Indian has little to do with sperm tracking and colonial record keeping it has to do with community, culture, knowledge, teachings, and your family.

The Governor General’s office says it does not comment on the specifics of termination cases.

 

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