Details of a preliminary investigation released Wednesday show that an Alaska commuter plane, which was found before 10 onboard deaths, was found in 10 onboard dead.
National Transportation Safety Board staff New Report The fatal Bering Air Cessnaflight was significantly overloaded against the expected icy weather conditions in Alaska on February 6th, potentially contributing to the rapid loss of altitude and the ultimate end mise of the day.
“[T]According to a preliminary report from the NTSB, he estimated the plane's total takeoff weight at departure was about 9,865 pounds, about 1,058 pounds above the maximum takeoff weight for flights to known or predicted facilities.
“It was about 803 pounds longer than the maximum total takeoff weight for flight operations under the APE III Flight Manual Supplement,” the report states.
The APE III is a payload extender equipped on the Fateful Textron Aircraft, which increased the maximum total takeoff weight of the aircraft.
The cargo and luggage in flight were about 709 pounds.
The NTSB said in its preliminary report that there were no significant weather recommendations or warnings at the time of the collision. The NTSB's full investigation will continue to investigate all possible weather factors, the report says.
The planes that traveled between the Unalakleet and the Nome communities were also being fed by experienced pilots, according to the report.
34-year-old pilot Chan Antill held a commercial pilot certificate, including evaluations of single-engine and multi-engine land planes. According to the report, he had the privilege of musical instruments on the plane.
Before his death, he had accumulated about 2,500 hours of flight time.
According to the NTSB, Antill flew 58.4 hours 30 days before the accident and 4.4 hours the previous week.
The Cessna Caravan Flight was carrying Antille and his nine passengers when the authorities lost all contact an hour after takeoff and the plane appeared to have disappeared from the map.
The wreckage was found the following day, February 7th, on sea ice off the coast of Alaska.
It was the crash fall of the third major plane in the United States in over a week.
As the NTSB continues its investigation, the official cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
A complete and final report on the official cause will be released at a later date.
