A Bering Air plane descended into Golovin on Feb. 8, two days after the fatal crash near Nome. Ten hearts were spray-painted next to the village airstrip. Residents painted them, one for each victim.
As officials were starting to look into the crash and examine the state’s long-standing aviation safety challenges, people in Northwest Alaska were standing by each other. Golovin was one of at least 19 villages where residents honored the victims and expressed their support for the pilots and staff of the regional airline.
In Shungnak, people held hands and circled the plane after it landed. In Brevig Mission, residents made signs and posters. In many places, people prayed, and in others they sang in Alaska Native languages.
“That's what our people do, you know?” Shungnak resident Leona Commack said. “We are there for one another in times like this.”
The idea came from a health aide in Savoonga, Lara Wongittilin.
“I wanted something uplifting after the heartbreak, for the families, friends, Bering Air staff, search and rescue, and everyone else involved,” Wongittilin said. “I wanted to show our appreciation, respect, prayers and to let them know, we are standing with you all during this difficult time.”
People in Savoonga greeted a plane with a song that late Nathan Noongwook translated into St. Lawrence Island Yupik in the early ‘70s after his son died, his granddaughter Justina Noongwook said.
Since then, the community has been singing it during funerals. This time, they sang it to wish the victims of the crash an everlasting life, Justina Noongwook said.
Four people on board flight 445 lived in Northwest Alaska. Others had close local ties, said Velma Jones from Noatak, a community of about 500 where 50 people showed up to the airstrip.
“We feel it, and we feel for their families,” Jones said.
Investigators have emphasized that the cause of the Bering Air crash, which killed all 10 on board, is still unclear. But documented gaps in the state's weather reporting system have already been drawing attention, including by national transportation officials and Alaska's congressional delegation. The group held a press conference earlier this week, where they brought up infrastructure issues in the state, which also has the highest rate of crashes in the nation.
Specifically, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan pointed to known issues with Alaska's Automated Weather Observing System, which helps pilots decide if it’s safe to fly.
Many of the system’s stations are located off-the-road and use outdated technology, said University of Alaska Fairbanks Climate Specialist Rick Thoman. On any given day, 10% to 20% of the stations are down, and repairs are hard, he said. Thoman added that efforts and funding for weather station improvements have been limited.
“From my perspective, OK, that's a start, but the amount of money that's been allocated is nowhere near sufficient to systematically address the problem,” Thoman said.
Bering Air is the predominant air carrier in Northwest Alaska and is often the only way for residents to get to medical appointments, basketball games and other communities, as well as to receive mail, groceries and medical supplies. More than 80% of Alaskan communities are off the road system, making similar, small regional air carriers an important lifeline.
Jones said that pilots who commute people back and forth become a big part of their community.
“You get to know them personally, like you would know your neighbor,” Jones said.
Kaylee Fagerstrom was one of dozens Golovin residents who welcomed the Bering Air plane, holding signs made by a local 7-year-old boy. Golovin said she wanted to express her support to victims’ families and pilots after the crash.
“We're just showing our love to Bering Air so they don't give up on us and don't lose hope,” Fagerstrom said.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating the cause of flight 445 crash. The preliminary report can take up to 30 days after the incident, and the final report can take up to several years.
