NTSB: Bering Air Crash Near Nome Caused by Inadequate Airspeed Management and Overweight Operation
Part 135 operators and pilots in icing-prone environments should review their weight-and-balance procedures and ice-protection protocols; the NTSB's recommendations may drive future FAA rulemaking.
The NTSB released its final report on the February 6, 2025, crash of Bering Air Flight 445, a Cessna 208B Caravan (N321BA) that crashed on pack ice 12 miles offshore near Nome, Alaska, killing the pilot and nine passengers. The probable cause was the pilot's inadequate airspeed management due to workload and degraded situational awareness during severe icing conditions, including supercooled large droplets, which led to an aerodynamic stall. Operation above maximum gross weight reduced the stall margin. The NTSB also found the operator's inadequate safety management allowed routine overweight flights, and the FAA failed to increase oversight despite the operator's rapid growth. The NTSB issued new recommendations calling for loss-of-control training for Part 135 pilots, certificated dispatchers, flight data monitoring, and crash-resistant recorders.