A beloved school counselor killed on the small airplane that initially went missing before crashing on sea ice off in Alaska was on her way to pick up students for “college tours.”
Carol Mendiola Mooers, 48 — one of the 10 victims aboard the doomed Bering Air Flight last week — was a school counselor for the Unalakleet School in Alaska and “on her way to go pick up students to take on college tours in Juneau and Anchorage” when the plane crashed, a fundraising page set up by her son, Aaron Mooers, revealed.
The mother of two was a US Army veteran and a native of San Antonio, TX. Her son, who described her as “an Educator, Mentor, and Community Leader,” shared that the family plans to bury her in the Lone Star State.
“My father Rodney, my brother Hunter, and myself will be traveling across the country three times to recover her, take care of her, and have her services in San Antonio,” he said.
“We are doing this because she deserves the best and she had always wanted to be buried with her fellow service members in San Antonio, TX.”
In a heartfelt tribute posted on the Unalakleet School’s Facebook page, they shared that Moores “touched the lives of everyone in our school.”
“She was a keystone to our operations. She worked in every classroom and she worked with every individual. She spent most of her lunchtimes with the students and almost every weekend supporting student activities,” the school wrote.
“There aren’t enough words to express the magnitude of loss or to honor her many contributions to the Wolfpack. We appreciate all of the community and regional support with your condolences and prayers. Carol will forever be a member of the Wolfpack in loving memory.”
The school also revealed Alaska State Mentor Teacher Liane Ryan, who had been working in the school “throughout this year,” was killed in the crash and is remembered for her “contagious smile, an upbeat attitude, and was always willing to pitch in wherever needed.”
Unalakleet’s school official, Teri Paniptchuk, went into more detail about how Moores went above and beyond for all her students.
“She always made sure that our kids here were taken care of,” Paniptchuk told Alaska Public Media.
“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.”
Moore graduated from Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio in 1994, according to a tribute Facebook post by the school.
“Her life was one of service—to her family, her students, and her community,” school officials wrote.
“As a school counselor in Unalakleet, Alaska, she was on her way to pick up students for college tours, a testament to her unwavering commitment to their futures.”
The Army Vet also taught art at Memorial High School in Texas from 2007 to 2012 and was a counselor at Harlandale Independent School District, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
An investigation is underway to determine what may have caused Alaska’s deadliest crash in 25 years.
The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. Thursday and was headed for Nome, about 150 miles away.
Less than an hour later, it lost contact with officials.
Officials said the single-engine plane — which was at max capacity — experienced a “rapid loss” in elevation and speed roughly 12 miles offshore around 3:18 p.m.
Rescue crews with the Alaska state troopers and the National Transportation Safety Board then scoured the aircraft’s last known location before vanishing.
The wreckage was found in the frigid, slushy waters just 34 miles southwest of its destination on Friday.
Officials revealed that the bodies of all 10 victims had been successfully recovered on Saturday.
The Alaskan crash was the third major fatal aviation crash to make headlines over the last two weeks.
An American Airlines flight collided with an Army Black Hawk near Reagan National Airport in Virginia on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people onboard both aircraft.
Two days later, a medevac jet crashed in Philadelphia, Pa., killing all six people on the flight in addition to a person on the ground.
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