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Investigators Say Alaska Flight That Killed 10 Was Overweight for Icy Conditions

Investigators Say Alaska Flight That Killed 10 Was Overweight for Icy Conditions

Yahoo20-03-2025
The Bering Air plane that crashed in Alaska killing all 10 people on board was overweight for weather conditions, authorities have said.
On Wednesday, March 19, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report about the fatal Feb. 6 crash, referencing a flight manual which noted, 'Maximum Weight for Flight into Known Icing Conditions.'
The aircraft, which 'was equipped with standard support items used at outstations, such as cargo netting, tie-down straps, engine cowling plugs, a portable scale, and a tail stand,' also included 'baggage and cargo [that] weighed about 709 lbs.'
The NTSB's preliminary report found that the aircraft 'was about 969 lbs over the maximum takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions under the TKS system supplement.'
'It was also about 714 lbs over the maximum gross takeoff weight for any flight operation under the APE III flight manual supplement,' the report added.
The commuter flight initially departed from Nome Airport (PAOM) in Nome, Alaska. It proceeded to Saint Michael Airport (PAMK) in Saint Michael, Alaska, stopping at Unalakleet Airport (PAUN) in Unalakleet, Alaska.
Related: Alaska Plane Crash Victim Remembered as an 'Amazing' Mom of 2 and 'Beloved' School Counselor
The plane was expected to return to PAOM that afternoon, the preliminary report said.
All 10 victims were residents from Alaska between the ages of 30 and 58.
Victims were identified as utility operations employees and Anchorage residents Rhone Baumgartner, 46, and Kameron Hartvigson, 41, both of whose names were already identified by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC).
Nome resident Chad Antill, 34, was named as the aircraft's pilot.
Other fatalities were Liane Ryan, 52, and Andrew Gonzalez, 30, of Wasilla; Donnell Erickson, 58, of Nome; Jadee Moncur, 52, of Eagle River; Ian Hofmann, 45, of Anchorage; and 34-year-old Talaluk Katchatag and 48-year-old Carol Mooers, both of Unalakleet.
Related: 2 Passengers of Alaska Plane Crash Identified as Utility Workers: 'They Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice for the People We Serve'
According to the NTSB, Antill 'was employed by the operator as a pilot since March 2022. His most recent 12-month competency check was completed on December 9, 2024.'
Authorities previously revealed during a Feb. 7 press conference that the Bering Air commuter plane began to lose elevation and speed, with its then-last-known location being 'in the vicinity of Norton Sound, approximately 30 miles southeast of Nome,' per the U.S. Coast Guard.
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'Nome is a strong community, and in challenging times we come together and support each other. I expect the outpouring of support to continue in the coming days as we all work to recover from this tragic incident,' Nome Mayor John Handeland said, as reported by the Associated Press.
The investigation remains ongoing. A final report will be released at a later time, the outlet added on Wednesday.
Read the original article on People
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Day 2 of federal investigation into fatal midair crash of Army chopper, commercial plane opens
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Day 2 of federal investigation into fatal midair crash of Army chopper, commercial plane opens

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Day 2 of federal investigation into fatal midair crash of Army chopper, commercial plane opens
Day 2 of federal investigation into fatal midair crash of Army chopper, commercial plane opens

Yahoo

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Day 2 of federal investigation into fatal midair crash of Army chopper, commercial plane opens

The National Transportation Safety Board enters a second day of public hearings Thursday on the January midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger plane that killed all 67 people aboard the aircrafts. On the first day, investigators highlighted a number of factors that may have contributed to the crash and the warnings about helicopter traffic that FAA received years before the tragedy over the Potomac River. It's too early for the board to identify what exactly caused the crash. The board's final report won't be released until sometime next year. But it became clear Wednesday how small a margin of error there was for helicopters flying the route the Black Hawk took the night of the nation's deadliest plane crash since November 2001. The January incident was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation. FAA didn't add warning to helicopter charts, official says NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said an FAA working group raised concerns about all the helicopter traffic around Reagan airport and the risk of a collision in 2022, but the FAA refused to add a warning to helicopter charts urging pilots to use caution when this runway was in use. 'This is the very event that this would have been the cautionary note for,' she said. Video and animation presented during the proceeding's first day showed the helicopter flying above the 200 feet (61 meters) altitude limit before colliding with the plane. Investigators said Wednesday the flight data recorder showed the helicopter was actually 80 feet to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters) higher than the barometric altimeter the pilots relied upon showed they were flying. So the NTSB conducted tests on three other helicopters from the same unit in a flight over the same area and found similar discrepancies in their altimeters. Dan Cooper with Sikorsky helicopters said that when the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash was designed in the 1970s, it used a style of altimeter that was common at the time. Newer helicopters have air data computers that didn't exist back then that help provide more accurate altitude readings. Chief Warrant Officer Kylene Lewis told the board that she wouldn't find an 80 to 100 foot discrepancy between the different altimeters on a helicopter alarming because at lower altitudes she would be relying more on the radar altimeter than the barometric altimeter. Below 500 feet (152 meters), Lewis said she would be checking both instruments and cross referencing them. Army officials said a discrepancy of 70 to 100 feet (21 to 30 meters) between the Black Hawk's altimeters is within the acceptable range because pilots are expected to maintain their altitude plus or minus 100 feet. 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'All aircraft could hear the controller, but helicopters could only hear other helicopters on their frequency and airplanes only other airplanes,' the report stated. 'This resulted in a number of stepped on transmissions as helicopters and airplanes were not aware when the other was communicating.' Stepped on transmissions are those that are unheard or blocked because of other transmissions. The NTSB report provides a list of 29 separate communications between the airport tower and other aircraft during approximately the 1 minute and 57 seconds before the collision. Previously disclosed air traffic control audio had the helicopter pilot telling the controller twice that they saw the airplane and would avoid it. The animation ended with surveillance video showing the helicopter colliding with the plane in a fiery crash. 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