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.
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.
Chad Antill, 34, Nome
Chad Antill was the Bering Air pilot of flight 445. He grew up in Idaho and first came to Dutch Harbor in Alaska when he was 14.
“He fell in love with fishing,” his father William Antill said.
Chad Antill split his time between Nome and Southcentral Alaska and often volunteered to support Nome’s basketball team, his father said.
He was close to his three young children and family, his great uncle Jim Antill said.
“Chad had a very adventuresome heart and he loved to help people,” he said.
Rhone Baumgartner, 46, Anchorage
Rhone Baumgartner was one of two Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium employees on the flight who had traveled to Unalakleet to service the water plant.
Originally from McGrath, Baumgartner was also a bush pilot with enormous love and pride for Alaska, his friend Fiona Horne said.
His sister, Shelly Baumgartner-Miller, said Baumgartner “dedicated his life to serving the people and communities of rural Alaska, particularly along the Kuskokwim River, and in recent years, throughout the state.”
“His life and work was a reflection of his deep love, respect and commitment to Alaska’s Native people and traditions, and his legacy will continue to live on in the lives of the many individuals he touched,” she said on behalf of the family.
In 2017, Baumgartner helped with recovery and rebuilding efforts after the catastrophic hurricanes on the island of St. Thomas in the Caribbean, Horne said.
“With his expertise in diesel generators Rhone was absolutely invaluable after the storms for many and he was so generous and kind with his time helping others,” Horne said. “He is one of the kindest and most pure hearted souls I’ve ever met.”
David Beveridge, 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,” Beveridge said. “The loss of these two incredible individuals and everyone else on board the plane will be felt all over Alaska.”
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,” Nichols said during a vigil in Nome on Friday. “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.”
Outside of work, Erickson was a father of three and a grandfather, his ex-wife Melinda Erickson wrote in a fundraiser. He was a friend to many who loved to tell jokes.
“Donnell was a wonderful man, a legend in the eyes of his children and grandchildren and to many who had the honor of calling him a friend,” Melinda Erickson wrote.
Andrew Gonzalez, 30, Wasilla
Andrew Gonzalez lived in Santa Rosa, Calif., for most of his life and moved to Alaska in 2022, according to the Press Democrat. He was a power generation technician, worked to provide reliable electricity in remote villages and was proud of his work, the report said.
Gonzalez proposed to his wife during their first trip to Hatcher Pass, and together they bought their first home in Wasilla, Gonzales’ mother-in-law, Heather Bowers, wrote in a fundraiser.
Gonzalez’s wife and mother told the Press Democrat that he had a deep love for his family and connected with people easily.
Kameron Hartvigson, 41, Anchorage
Kameron Hartvigson, the ANTHC employee, was also a father of two teenage boys, said his friend Michelle Russo.
“His boys were his entire world, and every decision he made was rooted in his love for them,” she said.
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,” she said. “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.”
Ian Hofmann, 45, Anchorage
Ian Hofmann was a lead electrical engineer at the Anchorage-based CRW Engineering Group, according to the company’s online statement. He was also a mentor for staff at the company.
Like several other passengers, Hofmann traveled to Unalakleet to upgrade the local water treatment plant and was on his way home, company officials said.
“We were truly fortunate to know and work alongside such a kind, talented, and remarkable man,” they said in the statement. “His presence will be deeply missed.”
Hofmann’s family remembered him as “a devoted husband, a loving father, and a man known for his kindness and generosity,” according to a fundraiser.
Talaluk Driskill LaRoi Katchatag, 34, Unalakleet
Talaluk Driskill 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,” AyyuSue Katchatag said.
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,” she said. “My kids loved him with their whole heart and the news of this has been devastating for them.”
JaDee Moncur, 52, Eagle River
JaDee Moncur was raised on a family farm in Wyoming, according to an obituary shared by his son Carter Moncur. After living in Delaware and Utah, Moncur moved to Alaska in 2008, where he worked at Support Services of Alaska as a project engineer.
An avid hiker and runner, Moncur also enjoyed hunting for bears, birds and caribou, as well as combat fishing on the Russian River.
“It was only considered quality fishing if there were bears fishing next to you.
He enjoyed pack rafting with anyone that would go with him,” his family wrote.
When going snowmachining, Moncur would always pack extra tools and parts and would ride last to make sure everyone returned home safely.
“For him there was nothing better than the taste of a burrito smoked with 2-stroke oil,” the family wrote.
A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, he volunteered at his church, taught youth Sunday school and was serving as the bishop.
“JaDee lived his life doing what he loved: Serving, flying, riding, playing, loving, and working hard,” the family wrote. “Our world is much smaller without him in it.”
Carol Mooers, 48, Unalakleet
Carol Mooers was from San Antonio, Texas, but was a member of the Unalakleet community, her brother Adrian Mendiola said.
“She was a trailblazer of a woman that impacted many lives as an army veteran, educator, counselor, wife and mother,” Mendiola said. “She dedicated her life to serving others from San Antonio, Maine, and most recently Alaska for the last three years.”
As a Unalakleet school counselor, she worked in every classroom and supported student activities even during weekends, school officials shared on social media.
Mooers was generous, dedicated and kind, Kelsi Ivanoff, Unalakleet’s city administrator, said.
“She was a pillar in our school, advocating for healthy minds and bodies for our youth,” Ivanoff said. “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,” Paniptchuk said. “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.”
School secretary Myrtle Ivanoff Smith said that Mooers was like a sister to her. She said she has recently found herself almost waiting for Mooers to come into her office so they can talk and share a laugh. School staff and students have filled the walls and windows of Mooers’ classroom with paper hearts and messages addressed to her.
Liane Ryan, 52, Wasilla
Liane Ryan was a retired teacher who mentored young educators in rural Alaska.
“She had such a cheerful and bubbly personality, and dedicated her post-retirement life to growing new teachers and encouraging them through those first incredibly tough years,” said Jamie Burgess, superintendent for Nome Public Schools.
Before retirement, Ryan worked as a science teacher and a volleyball coach at several schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. She shared her enthusiasm with her students and helped them find their confidence, said her colleague Lisa Vrvilo.
“Kids just knew that she loved them, that she wanted them in her classroom, and she made learning a lot of fun and science just very engaging,” Vrvilo said. “She was short in stature, but she would always say – and I just thought this was the funniest thing – ... ‘I'm not short, I'm fun-sized,’ and it totally matched her personality. She was completely fun all the time in everything that she did.”
Aileia Caldwell had Ryan as a track coach at Joe Redington Senior Jr./Sr. High School. She said Ryan encouraged her and her teammates to push beyond their limits and believed in them wholeheartedly.
“She taught so many of us that perseverance and a growth mindset could take us wherever our dreams led,” Caldwell said. “In her memory, I hope to carry forward the lessons she so graciously taught: spreading kindness, uplifting others and embracing challenges with resilience and hope.”
After retiring, Ryan joined the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project and visited rural schools across the state to support new educators and often spoke about how fortunate she felt to see the uniqueness of the state in a new light, Vrvilo said.
“I just know she had such a great passion and love for the people she was working with and the young teachers that she was supporting,” Vrvilo said.
In Unalakleet, she was mentoring the fifth-grade teacher, said Warren Katchatag, the school janitor.
“She was always so friendly and always smiling and down-to-earth,” he said. “She will be greatly missed at the school.”
Ryan was also a devoted wife, mother, daughter and, recently, a grandmother, said Vrvilo who also worked closely with Ryan’s family.
“She poured love into every moment with her family, and my heart aches for them,” Vrvilo said. “Her legacy of faith, kindness and unwavering support for others will live on in the hearts of those who knew her. My hope is that we honor Liane by continuing the work she loved so much — lifting up educators, empowering students and making a difference, one classroom at a time.”
Since the crash, Vrvilo said she has spoken to people who were grieving some of the victims she did not know.
“This tragedy really just expands across the state. There were connections all over and some really wonderful people that were really trying to make a difference in rural Alaska. … They all left behind a legacy, and we're all just trying to figure out how we're going to be able to honor that.”
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If you would like to share memories of any of those on board the flight for this story, please reach reporter Alena Naiden at anaiden@alaskapublic.org.
