An Alaska commuter plane carrying 10 people was found to be more than 1,000 pounds overweight at the time of takeoff, according to a preliminary investigation released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday.
The NTSB report revealed that the Bering Air Cessna flight was significantly overloaded for Alaska’s icy weather conditions on February 6, leading to a rapid loss of altitude and the tragic crash that claimed the lives of everyone on board.
The estimated gross takeoff weight of the airplane was 9,865 lbs, exceeding the maximum takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions by 1,058 lbs. Additionally, it was 803 lbs over the maximum gross takeoff weight for any flight operation under the APE III flight manual supplement.
The cargo and baggage on the flight added up to 709 lbs, further contributing to the overweight condition of the aircraft.
Despite no significant meteorological weather advisories or warnings at the time of the crash, the NTSB will continue to investigate all possible weather factors that may have played a role in the accident.
The experienced pilot, Chan Antill, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine and multi-engine land airplanes, as well as instrument privileges. He had accumulated 2,500 hours of flight time before the crash.
Antill had flown 58.4 hours in the 30 days prior to the accident and 4.4 hours in the week leading up to it.
The Cessna Caravan flight disappeared an hour after takeoff on its route between Unalakleet and Nome, with the wreckage being discovered on sea ice off Alaska’s coast the next day.
The crash marked the third major plane crash in the US within just over a week, and the official cause is still under investigation by the NTSB.
A comprehensive final report detailing the official cause of the crash will be released at a later date.
