JUNEAU, Alaska — Authorities worked Saturday to recover the wreckage of a plane crash in western Alaska that killed 10 people while investigators are trying to determine what caused the small commuter aircraft to go down in the icy Bering Sea.

The single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome when it disappeared Thursday afternoon. The Bering Air plane was found the next day after an extensive search. Nine passengers and the pilot were killed.

Crews attempted to recover the wreckage and the remains of those killed in the crash before expected high winds and snow.

Officials said contact with the Cessna Caravan was lost less than an hour after it left Unalakleet on Thursday. Authorities said the flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, and the aircraft went missing about 30 miles southeast of Nome.

The wreckage was found Friday by rescuers who were searching by helicopter. Local, state and federal agencies scoured large stretches of icy waters and miles of frozen tundra before finding the plane.

A Black Hawk helicopter will be used to move the aircraft once the bodies are removed, officials said.

Unalakleet is a community of about 690 people 150 miles southeast of Nome and 395 miles northwest of Anchorage. The village is on the Iditarod trail, route of the world’s most famous sled dog race.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending people from various states to investigate the crash.

Radar data provided by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol indicated the plane rapidly lost elevation and speed, but it’s not clear why that happened, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.