logo
Plane crash which killed 10 in Alaska was half a ton overweight, investigation finds

Plane crash which killed 10 in Alaska was half a ton overweight, investigation finds

Yahoo20-03-2025

The plane involved in the Alaska regional airline crash that killed 10 people was found to be about half a ton overweight for a flight in icy conditions, US investigators said on Wednesday.
Bering Air Flight 445 was reported missing just before 4pm local time on 6 February while en route from Unalakleet to Nome in the west of Alaska, yet the flight ended in one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state for 25 years.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report that calculations showed that the plane's estimated gross takeoff weight at departure was 9,865lbs, around 1,058lbs (roughly just under half a ton) heavier than the maximum for icy conditions, the NTSB said.
Clint Johnson, from NTSB's Alaska region, told the Associated Press that the weight, however, is just a 'data point' in the ongoing investigation and a final report including probable causes will take a year or more after the crash.
Records also show the aircraft used a payload extender, allowing planes to increase the maximum weight, but despite this, the plane was still 803lbs over the limit for any flight operations.
Mr Johnson added that it remains to be determined whether the weight of the plane would have been a factor in the accident.
The NTSB said a senior engineer will conduct a detailed review of the plane's performance, including its centre of gravity location.
The investigators will also be reviewing all weather factors pertaining to the accident, as well as what information was relayed to the pilot about the weather and if ice conditions existed at the crash locations.
Mr Johnson said that icing conditions were forecast along the route, and it was snowing, with some freezing rain in Nome.
The report also reveals that contact was lost minutes after air traffic control told the pilot the runway in Nome would be closed for about 15 minutes for de-icing.
'The controller added that if the pilot wanted to 'slow down a little bit' to prevent the flight from arriving before the runway reopened, that would be fine, and the pilot acknowledged,' the report states.
The pilot handbook specifies that an air speed of 95 knots must be maintained to fly in icing conditions if de-icing equipment is fully functional.
The pilot was told to descend and maintain 4,000 feet at his discretion, then the autopilot disengaged at 99 knots, then dropped within seconds to 70 knots and was at about 3,100 feet, the report says.
The final satellite tracking data came less than one minute later at 3.20pm at an altitude of 200 feet.
The report also looked into the anti-icing system on the wings and the tail of the turbo-propeller plane.
The operator said the quantity of de-icing fluid was checked during each preflight inspection, with the pilot being responsible for ensuring there was a sufficient quantity onboard.
However, no record is required when the fluid is added to the plane. A worker at the Unalakleet airport told the pilot that the fluid was available, but the pilot told her the tank was full, the report says.
The plane, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, had been carrying nine adult passengers and a pilot on a 'regular commuter flight' before it disappeared.
The plane took off from Unalakleet, a small community of 690 people, at 2.37pm towards Nome, before officials lost contact with it less than an hour later.
Two days later, the Nome Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post that the bodies of all 10 victims who died in the crash had been recovered.
'All 10 individuals aboard the Bering Air plane have been officially brought home to Nome,' they wrote.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form
Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form

A lot has changed for Dustin Johnson since the last time he was at Oakmont Country Club nine years ago. He captured his second major title, winning the November Masters in 2020. He was one of the first players to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in 2022, where he remains with one win in each of his first three seasons, though he hasn't collected a worldwide win since February 2024. Advertisement This week, the 40-year-old is back in Western Pennsylvania looking to rekindle the DJ of old's flame at the 2025 U.S. Open. He has missed the cut in five of his past seven majors and sits 27th in the LIV Golf season standings after eight events with three top-10 finishes on the year, including last week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. But he remains far from his form in 2016, when he entered the final round at Oakmont trailing by four but won by three, claiming his first major championship title a year removed from a disappointing finish at Chambers Bay, when he had an eagle putt from 12 feet to win on the 72nd hole and walked off the green with a par to miss a playoff by one shot. "The course is just as hard as I remember, if not harder. Yeah, I like coming back here. I love the golf course," Johnson said Monday at his pre-tournament news conference. "First time I played it, probably two weeks prior to the 2016 Open, so obviously a lot of good memories from that year. Coming back, I was back here one other time when I got my honorary membership here, for that ceremony, which was really nice. Proud member of Oakmont. I'm probably their favorite member because I never come." Johnson calls Oakmont the toughest course he has ever played, and he couldn't name a second off the top of his head. Dustin Johnson walks to the eighth tee during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club. Even with softer conditions expected this week thanks to upwards of 13 inches of rain in the past 10 weeks, and more expected early on and possibly on the weekend, it could make the golf course a bit easier to hold the fairways and greens, but it could lead to it playing longer, too. Advertisement That's how conditions were when Johnson won in 2016. "The conditions right now are similar," he said. "Hopefully it will be dry, we won't get any more rain, and it will dry out a little bit by Thursday." Johnson said his game has been trending in the right direction, even if the results don't show it. He's currently in the midst of one of his longest winless streaks (16 months) of his lengthy pro career. "Golf is a strange sport. I don't feel like I've slipped any. My scores haven't reflected, but it is a really fine line," Johnson said. "I remember a few years ago, I missed two cuts in a row. I think I shot 80-80, and then I won the next week. Dustin Johnson of the United States signs autographs for fans during a practice round prior to the 125th U.S. OPEN at Oakmont Country Club on June 09, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. "For me it's always really close to being good, but just getting back there and keeping it consistent which over the last couple months I'm starting to see a lot of patterns and the game feels like it's coming back into good form." Advertisement Before he won at Oakmont in 2016, Johnson went 15 months between victories. A lot has changed in nine years, but the competitive fire remains inside DJ, and he's hoping some good vibes at Oakmont can be the spark to another special week. "I have confidence in this golf course because I know I played well, but obviously this week puts a lot of pressure on the driver. I feel like I'm driving the ball really good right now," he said. "Even from there, though, it doesn't get much easier. You definitely have to hit it in the fairway if you want a chance to win around here. "I'm looking forward to playing in it this week and hopefully can contend." This article originally appeared on Golfweek: U.S. Open 2025: LIV Golf's Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont

Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form
Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form

USA Today

time6 hours ago

  • USA Today

Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form

Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form A lot has changed for Dustin Johnson since the last time he was at Oakmont Country Club nine years ago. He captured his second major title, winning the November Masters in 2020. He was one of the first players to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in 2022, where he remains with one win in each of his first three seasons, though he hasn't collected a worldwide win since February 2024. This week, the 40-year-old is back in Western Pennsylvania looking to rekindle the DJ of old's flame at the 2025 U.S. Open. He has missed the cut in five of his past seven majors and sits 27th in the LIV Golf season standings after eight events with three top-10 finishes on the year, including last week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. But he remains far from his form in 2016, when he entered the final round at Oakmont trailing by four but won by three, claiming his first major championship title a year removed from a disappointing finish at Chambers Bay, when he had an eagle putt from 12 feet to win on the 72nd hole and walked off the green with a par to miss a playoff by one shot. "The course is just as hard as I remember, if not harder. Yeah, I like coming back here. I love the golf course," Johnson said Monday at his pre-tournament news conference. "First time I played it, probably two weeks prior to the 2016 Open, so obviously a lot of good memories from that year. Coming back, I was back here one other time when I got my honorary membership here, for that ceremony, which was really nice. Proud member of Oakmont. I'm probably their favorite member because I never come." Johnson calls Oakmont the toughest course he has ever played, and he couldn't name a second off the top of his head. Even with softer conditions expected this week thanks to upwards of 13 inches of rain in the past 10 weeks, and more expected early on and possibly on the weekend, it could make the golf course a bit easier to hold the fairways and greens, but it could lead to it playing longer, too. That's how conditions were when Johnson won in 2016. "The conditions right now are similar," he said. "Hopefully it will be dry, we won't get any more rain, and it will dry out a little bit by Thursday." Johnson said his game has been trending in the right direction, even if the results don't show it. He's currently in the midst of one of his longest winless streaks (16 months) of his lengthy pro career. "Golf is a strange sport. I don't feel like I've slipped any. My scores haven't reflected, but it is a really fine line," Johnson said. "I remember a few years ago, I missed two cuts in a row. I think I shot 80-80, and then I won the next week. "For me it's always really close to being good, but just getting back there and keeping it consistent which over the last couple months I'm starting to see a lot of patterns and the game feels like it's coming back into good form." Before he won at Oakmont in 2016, Johnson went 15 months between victories. A lot has changed in nine years, but the competitive fire remains inside DJ, and he's hoping some good vibes at Oakmont can be the spark to another special week. "I have confidence in this golf course because I know I played well, but obviously this week puts a lot of pressure on the driver. I feel like I'm driving the ball really good right now," he said. "Even from there, though, it doesn't get much easier. You definitely have to hit it in the fairway if you want a chance to win around here. "I'm looking forward to playing in it this week and hopefully can contend."

West Nile virus detected in Orleans Parish mosquitoes
West Nile virus detected in Orleans Parish mosquitoes

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

West Nile virus detected in Orleans Parish mosquitoes

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Mosquitoes on the New Orleans east bank tested positive for the West Nile virus Sunday, June 8. According to officials from the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board, mosquitos collected from the east bank of Orleans Parish tested positive for the West Nile virus. Officials said the samples indicate that the virus is circulating among mosquito and bird populations. No human cases have been reported in Orleans Parish this year. Man killed in Central City stabbing The NOMTRCB will conduct spray missions by helicopter Sunday, June 8 from 7:45 p.m. to 12 a.m. They will target Anthony, Filmore, Gentilly and the St. Bernard area bounded by Lakeshore Dr. I-610, Bayou St. John and Music Street. According to officials, most West Nile infections are asymptomatic. However, common symptoms include headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and rash. In rare cases, severe illness can occur. West Nile and other mosquito-borne viruses are more active in the summer and early Johnson teases follow-ups to the 'one big, beautiful bill' Hemi power: Ram plans return to NASCAR in 2026 with Truck Series entry. Cup Series could be next Texas Republican says LA 'tip of the iceberg,' deportations 'about to go way up' Heat Advisory & Isolated Thunderstorms continue for Sunday West Nile virus detected in Orleans Parish mosquitoes Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store