The Bering Air flight that crashed last month in remote Alaska was more than 1,000 pounds overweight for the conditions, investigators said Wednesday. The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary findings into the Feb. 6 crash.
According to the report, the flight departed Unalakleet Airport at 2:37 p.m. local time, bound for Nome Airport. As the aircraft neared Nome, air traffic control informed the single pilot that the runway was temporarily closed for deicing, with an expected 10-to-15-minute delay. The controller suggested the pilot could slow down to avoid arriving before the runway reopened.
Data shows the plane’s airspeed began decreasing around this time, dropping from about 160 knots to 110 knots. The aircraft leveled off at 6,000 feet before being cleared to descend to 4,000 feet.
Minutes later, with the Cessna Caravan’s airspeed at 99 knots, the autopilot disengaged. Over the next 19 seconds, the plane’s airspeed fell to about 70 knots and its altitude dropped to 3,100 feet as it turned from a westerly to a southerly heading.
The final recorded data point showed the aircraft at just 200 feet above sea level, about 32 miles east of Nome and 12 miles offshore over Norton Sound. Attempts by air traffic control to contact the pilot after this were unsuccessful.
Overweight Aircraft
The NTSB’s preliminary calculations indicate the aircraft was significantly overweight at takeoff. The estimated gross weight of 9,865 pounds exceeded the maximum takeoff weight for known icing conditions by about 1,058 pounds. It also surpassed the absolute maximum takeoff weight by approximately 803 pounds.
Weather conditions at the time included light snow, broken cloud ceilings between 2,500-3,500 feet, and well-below-freezing temperatures. An airmen’s meteorological information advisory had been issued earlier, forecasting occasional moderate icing between 2,000 and 8,000 feet.
The wreckage was located on a large, moving ice pack in Norton Sound. Investigators observed minor ice accumulation on some of the aircraft’s leading edges and more significant icing on the vertical stabilizer’s beacon light base.
Nine passengers and the pilot were killed as a result of the accident. The NTSB’s investigation is ongoing.
