The National Transport Safety Bureau (NTSB) has issued a preliminary report into the fatal accident involving a Bering Air Cessna  208B Caravan registered N321BA, which crashed in a remote part of Alaska on February 6, 2025, operating flight number 445. The wreckage of the airplane was found two days after the crash in which all nine passengers and the sole pilot lost their lives.

The report summarizes that the aircraft was significantly overweight when it departed on the fatal leg from Unalakleet Airport (UNK) heading to Nome Airport (OME). This, combined with known icing conditions in the region at the time, severely impaired the aircraft’s ability to fly and maintain a safe airspeed, leading to a stall that the pilot was unable to recover from.

According to the NTSB report, the flight departed from Unalakleet Airport at 14:37 local time, heading to Nome Airport where it was due to land at 15:35. As the aircraft approached Nome, air traffic controllers informed the pilot of flight 445 that Nome’s runway was being de-iced and was temporarily closed, and that flight 445 could expect a 10 to 15 minute delay in landing clearance to be given. The controller suggested to the pilot of flight 445 that he slow his aircraft down to minimize the delay in landing once overhead Nome.

Bering Air
MediaGuy768 / Wikimedia Commons

Following this transmission, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) radar data analyzed by the NTSB shows that the aircraft continue to maintain its assigned cruising altitude of 8,000ft (2,400m) toward Nome. At 14:56 the aircraft was cleared to descend to 6,000ft (1,800m) and it was noted that the aircraft’s airspeed began decreasing. Indications show that its speed dropped from around 160 knots to 110 knots. The aircraft leveled off at 6,000 ft before being cleared to descend further to 4,000ft (1,200m) as it approached Nome.

About that time, the airplane’s airspeed began to decrease and was accompanied by a reduction in engine power. At about 15:15, the airplane leveled at 6,000 ft. About 15 seconds later, the airspeed reached about 110 knots; however, it increased to about 120 knots about 2 minutes later. At 15:16, the controller instructed the pilot to descend and maintain 4,000 ft at the pilot’s discretion, and the pilot acknowledged. Shortly afterward, the airplane began to descend.

At about 15:19, the airplane leveled at 4,000ft and the engine power started to gradually increase. The airplane’s airspeed was around 112 knots but was observed to be falling. At 15:19, the autopilot disengaged, possibly due to it being unable to keep control of the aircraft at such as low speed. At that time, the airplane’s airspeed was 99 knots.

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