Latest news with #BeringAir
CNN
21-03-2025
- General
- CNN
Bering Air plane that crashed in Alaska was overweight before it took off, new NTSB report says
The regional airline flight in Alaska that crashed, killing all 10 people onboard, was overweight before it took off, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Cessna Grand Caravan operated by Bering Air as flight 445 crashed about 34 miles southeast of Nome, Alaska, on February 6. It was initially reported missing but was found the next day on ice floating in Alaska's Norton Sound. The icepack, which was subject to the tidal ocean currents, continuously moved about 5 to 10 miles per day, which complicated search and rescue efforts, the report notes. The NTSB found the airplane's estimated gross takeoff weight at departure was about 9,865 pounds, which was about 1,058 pounds over the maximum for flights into icing conditions, and more than 800 pounds over the limit for better weather. There was light snow and traces of ice reported around the time of the crash and the temperature was about 12 degrees. An examination of the wreckage outlined in the report found the plane was broken apart on impact, but there were signs of icing on the top of the tail. A senior aerospace engineer will conduct a detailed review of the airplane's performance as part of the investigation, including an evaluation of the airplane's center of gravity, according to the NTSB. The NTSB also compiled data about the plane's flight path, communications between the pilot and Anchorage Air Traffic Control and data downloaded from the onboard avionics. This preliminary report does not identify a probable cause of the crash, which usually takes the NTSB a year or longer to determine. The small commuter aircraft, which took off from Unalakleet, was carrying nine passengers and one pilot when it crashed. The tragedy shook the city of Nome, a community accustomed to travel by small plane across Alaska's vast landscapes. The crash came just a week after an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk Helicopter collided in Washington, DC, killing 67 people. That collision, along with the Alaska crash, are two of the deadliest plane disasters of the last decade in the US.
USA Today
21-03-2025
- General
- USA Today
Plane that crashed and killed 10 in Alaska was more than 1K pounds overweight, NTSB says
Plane that crashed and killed 10 in Alaska was more than 1K pounds overweight, NTSB says Show Caption Hide Caption Multiple recent US plane crashes investigated by NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating multiple deadly plane crashes, including ones in Alaska, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Fox - Seattle A small airplane that crashed off the Alaska coast last month, killing all 10 people on board, was hundreds of pounds overweight before taking off, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report released Wednesday. The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft operated by Bering Air was making a 150-mile trip from Unalakleet, Alaska, to Nome, Alaska, a regularly scheduled commuter flight that traverses the Norton Sound, when it crashed on Feb. 6. The plane was initially reported missing but was found atop a "large floating icepack" the next day, according to the report. Federal and state agencies launched a massive search over land and sea amid challenging weather conditions before the wreckage was discovered 34 miles southeast of Nome. Nine passengers and one pilot were killed in the crash. The report noted that the icepack, subject to the tidal ocean currents, continuously moved about five to 10 miles per day, complicating search and rescue efforts. Light snow and moderate icing were also observed around the time of the crash, according to the report. A post-accident examination of the plane's contents revealed that baggage and cargo weighed about 798 pounds, contributing to the plane's overall takeoff weight of roughly 9,865, the report stated. The estimated gross takeoff weight was about 1,058 pounds over the maximum for flights into icing conditions, and more than 800 pounds over the limit for any flight. The investigation into the incident is ongoing and will likely be a year or longer before the final report is released, according to the NTSB. "A senior NTSB aerospace engineer will conduct a detailed review of the airplane's performance as part of the investigation, including an evaluation of the airplane's center of gravity location," the report added. What went wrong? Investigators probe landing gear collapse in fiery Toronto plane crash Alaska plane disappeared from radar during commuter flight The Bering Air flight was traveling from Unalakleet, a village of about 700 residents, to Nome, a town of less than 4,000 residents, when it was reported missing at around 4 p.m. local time on Feb. 6, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Live flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed that the plane's last known position was over the water, nearly 40 minutes after leaving Unalakleet, which is typically less than an hour's flight from Nome. U.S. Coast Guard officials said the plane had dropped off the radar after experiencing a rapid loss of altitude and speed over the Norton Sound. Authorities said the plane did not emit an emergency distress signal that would be triggered by a crash or exposure to seawater. The plane's disappearance sparked a massive search by federal and state agencies. Search and rescue efforts had been hampered by poor weather and low visibility but a Coast Guard helicopter located the downed plane on Feb. 7. Authorities were able to recover all the bodies from the wreckage, which were then transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Anchorage for autopsies. What is mixed-used airspace? After 15,000 close calls at one airport, FAA takes action. Recent aviation incidents in the U.S. The crash in Alaska came amid heightened scrutiny of air safety in the U.S. Though experts have maintained that aviation remains extremely safe, recent incidents have raised concerns about flying. NTSB investigators are still probing two deadly crashes that occurred in late January: the midair collision of an American Airlines passenger plane and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people; and a medical jet crash in Philadelphia that killed seven. Other incidents have also made headlines, including a Delta Air Lines regional jet that flipped upside down upon arrival at Canada's Toronto Pearson Airport in February. Later that month, two plane crashes were reported in Arizona. Two private jets collided at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, killing one person and injuring four on Feb. 10. On Feb. 19, two single-engine planes collided outside the Marana Regional Airport, killing two people. And last week, an American Airlines plane caught fire at Denver International Airport. Six crew members and 172 passengers were forced to evacuate by slides, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Eve Chen, and Nathan Diller, USA TODAY; Reuters
CBC
20-03-2025
- CBC
U.S. investigators say Alaska plane was overweight for icy conditions in crash that killed 10
A commuter plane that crashed on sea ice off Alaska, killing all 10 people on board, was half a ton overweight for a trip into icy conditions, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report released Wednesday. The weight is just a "data point" in the ongoing investigation, cautioned Clint Johnson, who leads the NTSB's Alaska region. A final report including probable causes can take a year or more after a crash. The Feb 6. Bering Air crash was one of Alaska's deadliest plane crashes this century and the third major U.S. aviation mishap in an eight-day stretch. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River on Jan. 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing all six on board and another person on the ground. Small airplanes like the Cessna Caravan in this crash are the workhorses of Alaska, where most of the state's 200-plus villages are beyond the road system and only accessible by air or boat. Residents rely on the commuter planes like people living in the Lower 48 depend on cars, using them to get to medical appointments and meetings, to go shopping, to visit relatives or to attend away high school sports games. The single-engine turboprop plane was flying that afternoon from the community of Unalakleet to Nome, a trip of about 240 kilometres, when authorities lost contact less than an hour after takeoff, David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air, said at the time. The Cessna Caravan went missing about 50 kilometres from its destination. A review of the plane's contents following the crash indicated its estimated gross weight at departure was about 4,475 kilograms — about 480 kilograms over the maximum takeoff gross weight for a flight into areas where icing is in the forecast, the report says. The pilot operating handbook notes the maximum allowable takeoff gross weight for a flight into such conditions was the same as the basic airplane, 3,995 kilograms. Johnson said it remains to be determined whether the overweight conditions were a factor in the accident. Icing conditions were forecast along the route, and it was snowing, with some freezing rain in Nome, he said. Officials are trying to determine what information was relayed to the pilot, what information he had when he left and whether ice conditions existed at the crash location, he said. An email seeking comment sent to Bering Air was not immediately returned. Weather is often a factor in remote Alaska, and while flying is commonplace to most Alaskans, it can be a dangerous endeavor, said Whitney Power Wilson, an aviation accident litigation lawyer and pilot in Anchorage. "Icing should be concern for all pilots, but especially for pilots of smaller aircraft and pilots who frequently operate in conditions conducive to icing," she said. "The weight of an aircraft, the fact that icing is something that we're dealing with, those considerations have to be taken seriously because the consequences can be so tragic." Investigators also looked at the plane's altitude. It was flying in an area where moderate icing was possible between 2,000 feet (610 metres) and 8,000 feet (2,438 metres) and where the weather could be hazardous to light aircraft, NTSB chairperson Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference in Nome last month. Contact was lost shortly after air traffic control told the pilot the runway in Nome would be closed for about 15 minutes for deicing, the report says. "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 also indicates an air speed of 95 knots must be maintained to fly in icing conditions if de-icing equipment is fully functional. About three minutes after the pilot was told to descend to 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) at his discretion, the autopilot disengaged at 99 knots, then dropped within seconds to 70 knots and was at about 3,100 feet (945 meters), the report says. The final satellite tracking data came less than one minute later, at 3:20 p.m., at an altitude of 200 feet. The anti-icing system on the wings and tail of the five-year-old turbo-propeller airplane was designed to prevent ice from accumulating, the report says. The operator said the quantity of deicing fluid was checked during each preflight inspection. The pilot is responsible for ensuring there is a sufficient quantity onboard, but there is no requirement to record when it's added to the airplane. A worker at the Unalakleet airport told the pilot that the fluid was available, but the pilot told her the tank was full, according to the report. The U.S. Coast Guard has said it was unaware of any distress signals from the plane. After an extensive search, the wreckage was found the following day on a drifting ice floe. The pilot and all nine passengers had been killed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Alaska plane that crashed and left 10 dead was more than 1,000 pounds over the weight limit, NTSB finds
The Bering Air flight that recently crashed in sea ice off Alaska, killing 10, was more than 1,000 pounds "over the maximum takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions," according to a new report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The commuter flight was traveling from Unalakleet to Nome when it disappeared on Feb. 6. The U.S. Coast Guard found the plane's wreckage days later, on sea ice around 30 miles southeast of Nome. "Post-accident examination of the airplane contents indicated that the baggage and cargo weighed approximately 798 lbs. Based on that information, the airplane's estimated gross takeoff weight at departure was about 9,865 lbs, which was about 1,058 lbs over the maximum takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions," the NTSB said in a preliminary report this week. "The final satellite tracking data point corresponded to a time of 1520:17 and an altitude of 200 ft," it added. What We Know About The Alaska Plane Crash Victims The NTSB said in the report that the plane, a Textron Aviation 208B, "was equipped with a TKS ice protection system that included porous titanium panels along the leading edges of the wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and wing struts." Read On The Fox News App "The TKS system was designed to provide ice protection fluid from a tank in the cargo pod to the panels, propeller, and windshield to prevent the accumulation of airframe ice," it continued. The NTSB cited a pilot operating handbook supplement relating to the TKS system as saying "that the maximum allowable takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions was the same as that of the basic airplane, which was 8,807 lbs." "FAA records revealed that the airplane was equipped with an Aircraft Payload Extender III (APE III) system," which "provided for an increased maximum gross takeoff weight of 9,062 lbs," the NTSB added. However, at the time of the crash, the plane was still "about 803 lbs over the maximum gross takeoff weight for any flight operation under the APE III flight manual supplement," according to the NTSB. Alaska Crews Recover Remains Of All 10 Plane Crash Victims "A senior NTSB aerospace engineer will conduct a detailed review of the airplane's performance as part of the investigation, including an evaluation of the airplane's center of gravity location," it said in the report. The NTSB also said the pilot involved in the crash "had accumulated about 2,500 hours total flight time, including 1,060 hours in 208B airplanes." Victims Rhone Baumgartner, 46, and Kameron Hartvigson, 41, boarded the flight to Nome after traveling to Unalakleet to work on a heat recovery system servicing the community's water plant, The Associated Press cited the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as saying. The pilot killed in the crash was identified as Chad Antill, 34, of Nome. The other victims, according to the Anchorage Daily News, were Liane Ryan, 52, of Wasilla; Donnell Erickson, 58, of Nome; Andrew Gonzalez, 30, of Wasilla; Jadee Moncur, 52, of Eagle River; Ian Hofmann, 45, of Anchorage; Talaluk Katchatag, 34, of Unalakleet, and Carol Mooers, 48, of Unalakleet. Fox News Digital's Pilar Arias contributed to this article source: Alaska plane that crashed and left 10 dead was more than 1,000 pounds over the weight limit, NTSB finds
Fox News
20-03-2025
- General
- Fox News
Alaska plane that crashed and left 10 dead was more than 1,000 pounds over the weight limit, NTSB finds
The Bering Air flight that recently crashed in sea ice off Alaska, killing 10, was more than 1,000 pounds "over the maximum takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions," according to a new report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The commuter flight was traveling from Unalakleet to Nome when it disappeared on Feb. 6. The U.S. Coast Guard found the plane's wreckage days later, on sea ice around 30 miles southeast of Nome. "Post-accident examination of the airplane contents indicated that the baggage and cargo weighed approximately 798 lbs. Based on that information, the airplane's estimated gross takeoff weight at departure was about 9,865 lbs, which was about 1,058 lbs over the maximum takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions," the NTSB said in a preliminary report this week. "The final satellite tracking data point corresponded to a time of 1520:17 and an altitude of 200 ft," it added. The NTSB said in the report that the plane, a Textron Aviation 208B, "was equipped with a TKS ice protection system that included porous titanium panels along the leading edges of the wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and wing struts." "The TKS system was designed to provide ice protection fluid from a tank in the cargo pod to the panels, propeller, and windshield to prevent the accumulation of airframe ice," it continued. The NTSB cited a pilot operating handbook supplement relating to the TKS system as saying "that the maximum allowable takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions was the same as that of the basic airplane, which was 8,807 lbs." "FAA records revealed that the airplane was equipped with an Aircraft Payload Extender III (APE III) system," which "provided for an increased maximum gross takeoff weight of 9,062 lbs," the NTSB added. However, at the time of the crash, the plane was still "about 803 lbs over the maximum gross takeoff weight for any flight operation under the APE III flight manual supplement," according to the NTSB. "A senior NTSB aerospace engineer will conduct a detailed review of the airplane's performance as part of the investigation, including an evaluation of the airplane's center of gravity location," it said in the report. The NTSB also said the pilot involved in the crash "had accumulated about 2,500 hours total flight time, including 1,060 hours in 208B airplanes." Victims Rhone Baumgartner, 46, and Kameron Hartvigson, 41, boarded the flight to Nome after traveling to Unalakleet to work on a heat recovery system servicing the community's water plant, The Associated Press cited the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as saying. The pilot killed in the crash was identified as Chad Antill, 34, of Nome. The other victims, according to the Anchorage Daily News, were Liane Ryan, 52, of Wasilla; Donnell Erickson, 58, of Nome; Andrew Gonzalez, 30, of Wasilla; Jadee Moncur, 52, of Eagle River; Ian Hofmann, 45, of Anchorage; Talaluk Katchatag, 34, of Unalakleet, and Carol Mooers, 48, of Unalakleet.
