Bering Air Crash Attributed to Excess Aircraft Weight and Improper Airspeed…

​​​WASHINGTON (July 30, 2026) - Inadequate airspeed management during severe icing conditions, combined with an airplane above its maximum gross weight, led to the February 2025 crash of a Bering Air flight near Nome, Alaska, killing 10.

Bering Air Flight 445, a Textron Aviation Cessna 208B Caravan, was on the final leg of a scheduled commuter flight and heading to Nome when it crashed onto pack ice about 12 miles offshore of Norton Sound on Feb. 6, 2025. The pilot and all nine passengers were killed.

The NTSB found the airplane encountered more severe icing conditions than forecast, including large supercooled water droplets. Investigators used archived electronic data from various onboard avionics systems to determine that the airplane's ice protection system functioned as designed and prevented significant ice accumulation on protected surfaces.

The NTSB said managing the airplane's ice protection system increased the pilot's workload when preparing for an approach to Nome Airport, which had temporarily closed its runways for deicing. The NTSB determined those demands degraded the pilot's situational awareness, which led to the airspeed decay until the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall from which the pilot did not recover. The airplane's operation above its maximum gross weight further reduced its stall margin, leaving less room for recovery.

"The tragedy of Flight 445 was not the result of a single failure, but a series of preventable breakdowns that eroded critical safety margins," said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, who was on scene in Nome. "I've seen how Alaskan communities use aviation as a lifeline. Once implemented, our recommendations will make that lifeline safer and prevent other communities from experiencing similar heartbreak."

The investigation also found that Bering Air's flight risk assessment and operational control procedures failed to prevent routine overweight operations. Investigators identified a pattern of underreported aircraft weights on company load manifests, with several flights operating above weight limitations.

In addition, the investigation found the Federal Aviation Administration did not increase its oversight of Bering Air despite the operator's rapid growth and increased operational complexity following the pandemic and the bankruptcy of a major competitor.

The NTSB issued new safety recommendations to the FAA, including calling for most charter, air taxi, and fractional ownership operators to provide pilots with training on how to prevent and recover from a loss of control in flight.

The NTSB also reiterated previous recommendations calling for certificated dispatchers for most Part 135 operators, expanded use of flight data monitoring programs, broader load manifest requirements for Part 135 operations, and crash-resistant flight recorder systems for certain aircraft.

Links to the final report and public docket are on the accident investigation webpage.