NTSB discovers Alaska plane crash that exceeded weight limit by over 1,000 pounds, resulting in 10 deaths

The recent Bering Air flight crash in sea ice off Alaska resulted in the tragic loss of 10 lives. A new report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the flight was more than 1,000 pounds over the maximum takeoff gross weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions.

The commuter flight was en route from Unalakleet to Nome when it vanished on Feb. 6. The U.S. Coast Guard located the wreckage several days later on sea ice approximately 30 miles southeast of Nome.

“An examination post-accident of the airplane’s contents unveiled that the baggage and cargo weighed around 798 lbs. This detail led to an estimated gross takeoff weight at departure of about 9,865 lbs for the airplane, exceeding the allowable weight limit by approximately 1,058 lbs for flight into known or forecast icing conditions,” stated the NTSB in a preliminary report released this week.

“The final satellite tracking data point corresponded to a time of 1520:17 and an altitude of 200 ft,” it added. 

Ice accumulation was observed by investigators on the rear stabilizers of a plane that crashed while in flight to Nome. (National Transportation Safety Board/AP)

“A senior NTSB aerospace engineer will conduct a detailed review of the airplane’s performance as part of the investigation, including an evaluation of the airplane’s center of gravity location,” it said in the report. 

The NTSB also said the pilot involved in the crash “had accumulated about 2,500 hours total flight time, including 1,060 hours in 208B airplanes.” 

Victims Rhone Baumgartner, 46, and Kameron Hartvigson, 41, boarded the flight to Nome after traveling to Unalakleet to work on a heat recovery system servicing the community’s water plant, The Associated Press cited the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as saying. 

This image released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows ice accumulation that was observed by investigators on the base of the beacon/strobe light located at the top of the vertical stabilizer, on Feb. 7, 2025, the day after after a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome.  (NTSB/AP)

The pilot killed in the crash was identified as Chad Antill, 34, of Nome. The other victims, according to the Anchorage Daily News, were Liane Ryan, 52, of Wasilla; Donnell Erickson, 58, of Nome; Andrew Gonzalez, 30, of Wasilla; Jadee Moncur, 52, of Eagle River; Ian Hofmann, 45, of Anchorage; Talaluk Katchatag, 34, of Unalakleet, and Carol Mooers, 48, of Unalakleet.