The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska found the wreckage of a small plane atop frozen sea ice on Friday, after the aircraft suddenly lost altitude on Thursday and the crash killed all 10 people on board, officials said.

Planes carry transponders that transmit their real-time location. The Alaska plane stopped sharing that data on Thursday.

Authorities say a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome has been located on sea ice and all 10 on board are dead.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska on Friday found the wreckage of a small plane that suddenly lost altitude on Thursday and went missing with 10 people on board, recovering three of the bodies.

A plane carrying 10 people vanished over Alaska's Norton Sound, south of the Arctic Circle. The search continues amidst harsh weather. The Bering Air Caravan was en route from Unalakleet to Nome when contact was lost less than an hour into the flight.

The disappearance marks the third major incident in U.S. aviation in eight days. The Bering Air Caravan, a single-engine turboprop, was heading from Unalakleet to Nome.

Rescue operations are underway Friday after a small plane with 10 people went missing over Alaska’s Norton Sound shoreline — an inlet of the Bering Sea. The aircraft owned by Bering Air Caravan

An aircraft carrying 10 people across Alaska's Norton Sound south of the Arctic Circle went missing Thursday afternoon and rescuers searched into the night for any sign of the aircraft.