Alaska plane that crashed and left 10 dead was 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. 

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