Report: Crashed Plane Was Half a Ton Overweight

A commuter plane that crashed last month in Alaska was half a ton too heavy for the icy conditions it encountered, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The Bering Air flight crashed Feb. 6 while flying from Unalakleet to Nome, a distance of 140 miles. The wreckage was found a day later on a floating icepack on Norton Sound. It was "the third major US aviation mishap in eight days," per the Guardian, after a jetliner and army helicopter collided near Washington, DC, killing 67 people, and a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven.

Investigators estimated the Cessna 208B's gross weight at takeoff was 9,865 pounds, about 1,058 pounds heavier than the maximum for conditions that cause icing, according to the report released Wednesday, per NBC News. The single-engine turboprop plane was using a payload extender but was 803 pounds over the limit for flying with that system, according to the outlet. Radar data indicates the plane, which had an anti-icing system on its wings and tail, rapidly lost speed and elevation, per the Guardian. A cause of the crash is not included in the report, which notes "a detailed review of the airplane's performance" is still to come. (More plane crash stories.)