TEXTRON AVIATION INC 208B near Nome, AK — 2025-02-06

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate airspeed management due to workload and degraded situation awareness and his improper inputs leading up to and during the aerodynamic stall, which increased the airplane’s angle of attack. Also causal was operation of the airplane above maximum gross weight, which reduced the airplane’s stall margin. Contributing to the accident were the operator’s inadequate safety management, which allowed the routine operation of flights that exceeded weight limitations, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s inadequate oversight of the operator, which failed to identify and address the routine operation of overweight flights.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident were the operator’s inadequate safety management, which allowed the routine operation of flights that exceeded weight limitations, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s inadequate oversight of the operator, which failed to identify and address the routine operation of overweight flights.

NTSB narrative

On February 6, 2025, about 1520 Alaska standard time, a Textron Aviation 208B airplane, N321BA, operated as Bering Air flight 445, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Nome, Alaska. The pilot and nine passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as a scheduled charter flight.

NTSB coding

• Loss of control in flight · Enroute-descent

Evidence available

• ATC audio
• FDR / data
• ADS-B / radar
• Photos
• 78 docket documents

Docket documentsshowing 50 of 78

• ATC - ATTACHMENT 1 - INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTSatc
• ATC - ATTACHMENT 2 - FAA AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT PACKAGEatc
• ATC - ATTACHMENT 3 - ZAN ATC AUDIO RECORDINGSatc
• ATC - ATTACHMENT 4 - OME ATC AUDIO RECORDINGSatc
• ATC - ATTACHMENT 5 - ADS-B DATAatc
• ATC - ATTACHMENT 6 - RECORD OF CONVERSATION A�� VEHICLE DRIVERSatc
• ATC - ATTACHMENT 7 - ZAN TRAINING AND STAFFING DOCUMENTSatc
• ATC - ATTACHMENT 8 - ZAN FACILITY ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS DOCUMENTSatc
• ATC - ATTACHMENT 9 - OME FACILITY ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS DOCUMENTSatc
• ATC - GROUP CHAIRMAN'S FACTUAL REPORTatc
• AIRPLANE PERFORMANCE STUDYform
• PILOT/OPERATOR AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT, NTSB FORM 6120.1form
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 15 - NCAR ALASKA ICING OUTPUT INFORMATIONform
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 18 - FOREFLIGHT INFORMATIONform
• STATEMENT OF PARTY REPRESENTATIVES TO NTSB INVESTIGATIONinterview
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 1 - AIRPLANE EQUIPMENT LISTother
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 10 - WEIGHT & BALANCE DOCUMENTATION (11 SEAT CONFIG)other
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 11 - AIRPLANE FLIGHT RECORD (JUN2024-JAN2025)other
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 12 - NTSB MATERIAL LAB EXAMINATION SUMMARYother
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 2 - MAINTENANCE RECORDS -- 24 MONTH-PITOT STATIC INSPECTIONother
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 3 - MAINTENANCE RECORDS -- 100 HOUR-12 MONTH INSPECTIONother
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 4 - MAINTENANCE RECORDS -- 200 HOUR INSPECTIONother
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 5 - MAINTENANCE RECORDS -- 800-400 HOUR INSPECTIONother
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 6 - MAINTENANCE RECORDS -- 1600 HOUR INSPECTIONother
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 7 - MAINTENANCE RECORDS -- AD COMPLIANCEother
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 8 - MAINTENANCE RECORDS -- DISCREPANCY LOG (JUL2024-JAN2025)other
• AIRWORTHINESS ATTACHMENT 9 - MAINTENANCE RECORDS -- ENGINE POWER CONSOLE DISCREPANCYother
• MCCAULEY_MPS-25-018 TEARDOWN INSPECTION OF PROPELLER FROM CESSNA 208EX N321BAother
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 13 - N321BA AIRPLANE WEIGHT AND BALANCEother
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 15 - ACCIDENT FLIGHT EXEMPLAR WEIGHT AND BALANCE [G1000 DATA]other
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 16 - N321BA EXEMPLAR WEIGHT AND BALANCE JANUARY 28, 2025, TO FEBRUARY 5, 2025other
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 17 - EXEMPLAR WEIGHT AND BALANCE FEBRUARY 6, 2025, FLIGHT 830 OME - SMKother
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 4 - FLIGHT AND DUTY RECORDSother
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 5 -BERING AIR TRAINING RECORDSother
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 6 - PASSENGER MEMORANDUM OF RECORDS BERING AIR FLIGHT 445other
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 7 - PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK AND AIRCRAFT FLYING HANDBOOK {EXCERPTS]other
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 8 - BERING AIR GENERAL OPERATIONS MANUAL [EXCERPTS]other
• OPERATIONAL FACTORS ATTACHMENT 9 - BERING AIR GOM POSTACCIDENT CHANGESother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 1 - PAOM ASOS EDIT LOGSother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 12 - AAWU GRAPHICS VALID AT THE ACCIDENT TIMEother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 13 - AAWU HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE ICING GRAPHIC CATEGORIESother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 14 - FAA WEATHER CAMERA DATAother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 17 - ACCIDENT FLIGHT SPECIFIC ICING GRAPHICSother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 19 - FAAA��S LEGAL INTERPRETATION OF FIKIother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 2 - PAOM MAINTENANCE LOGSother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 20 - PAMK AWOS OBSERVATIONSother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 3 - PAOM MAINTENANCE DOCUMENTATIONother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 9 - ZAN CWSU PDWB VALID ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENTother
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 16 - FULL RANGE OF NCAR ICING GRAPHICSphotos
• WEATHER ATTACHMENT 4 - GOES-18 VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY ANIMATION - 1330 TO 1700 AKSTphotos

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