Our hearts go out to the victims and their families and friends, who were involved in the Bering Air Cessna Caravan accident on February 6, 2025. Our team at Aviation Law Group is saddened by this accident. We are also surprised at the similarities that this accident has with another Caravan accident that occurred in 2021 on a scheduled flight from Fairbanks to Huslia, Alaska. Attorneys at Aviation Law Group spent more than a year working on that case and investigating that accident.
On August 16, 2021, after taking off from Fairbanks with a full load of 8 passengers, a pilot, baggage, and cargo, the Wright Air Cessna Caravan climbed to 10,000 feet and proceeded west/northwest toward Huslia, a small town in central Alaska. Light icing was forecast for the route. Though it was summer, the freezing level was approximately 6400 feet, as air cools at approximately 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit per 1000 feet of altitude. Thus, the Caravan was flying nearly 4000 above the freezing level, not unusual and perfectly permissible.
During the flight, the aircraft encountered known icing conditions. 30 minutes after takeoff, its airspeed was allowed to decrease to below 100 knots, which caused the airplane to suddenly stall and enter a spin, where it spiraled straight down toward the ground, out of control, for nearly 40 seconds. Passengers were very distressed. Fortunately, the pilot was able to pull the aircraft out of the spin and avoid crashing into the ground. In doing so, the plane was nearly ripped apart as it came out of the dive 70 knots faster than the maximum rated airspeed (never exceed speed) for the Caravan. The aircraft was seriously damaged during the recovery and was barely able to return to Fairbanks due to significant wing damage and a bent aileron. The passengers experienced unimaginable trauma and emotional distress, and at least one kissed the tarmac after exiting the airplane in Fairbanks. The NTSB investigated the accident. Aviation Law Group became involved, representing most of the passengers on board.
The Cessna Caravan can be equipped with a “Flight Into Known Icing Equipment Package”, which includes: propeller anti-ice boots, wing de-ice boots, pitot-static heat, and a heated windshield. If the TKS Ice Protection System is installed, which may be the case for Bering Air Caravans (C-208EX models), there are porous panels on the leading edges of the wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and struts, along with a spray bar on the windshield, which allow the ethyl glycol anti-ice solution to evenly and effectively distribute on these ice prone surfaces. This helps prevent ice from forming on these surfaces. The system reservoir and pumps are located in the cargo pod that is mounted below the fuselage. The fluid quantity and time remaining can be provided to the pilot via a gauge with annunciator lights or via the pilot flight display. Caravans flying regularly in Alaska should have this equipment package. The equipment should be turned on when flying in icing conditions, including forecast icing conditions. With the icing equipment package, the Cessna Caravan is certified to fly in known icing conditions. However, the aircraft is not certified to (and is thus prohibited from) flying in severe icing conditions, which include freezing rain, freezing drizzle, mixed conditions, or conditions defined as severe. If that occurs, the pilot should take immediate evasive steps to fly out of those conditions, such as turning around, ascending or descending to warmer air, or flying out of the clouds and icing conditions.
Shortly into the flight to Huslia, icing became more pronounced. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigated the accident, noted that the aircraft may have encountered supercooled droplets (SLD), which can cause rapid ice accumulation on the leading surfaces of the aircraft. Since ice build-up can cause an increase in aircraft stall speed, the Cessna Caravan pilot operating handbook (POH) states that the aircraft must only be operated in icing conditions at or above the minimum airspeed of 130 knots, which may also vary with the weight of the aircraft. In addition, while in icing conditions, the POH requires that “the autopilot must be disconnected once every 10 minutes in icing conditions to check for any out-of-trim conditions caused by ice buildup.”
Flight recording data taken from the Huslia flight indicated that the autopilot had not been disconnected as required and that the aircraft flew as slow as 107 knots during an initial event and then below 100 knots before the final stall and spin, both well below the minimum icing airspeed of 130 knots. This slow airspeed allowed the aircraft to stall and then spin, triggering a near-catastrophic result.
Another significant factor aggravated the icing conditions and action/inaction of the pilot. The Cessna Caravan has a lower maximum certified weight for flight into known or forecast icing conditions, which is 8550 pounds instead of the normal 9062 pounds. The NTSB determined that at the time of the accident, the aircraft weighed approximately 9420 pounds (not including any ice weight), which is 870 pounds overweight for flight into icing conditions. The extra weight would have resulted in an increase in the stall speed of the Caravan.
Similarities to the Bering Air Accident Flight
The Wright Air Caravan accident and the Bering Air accident have similarities that cannot be overlooked, though the Wright Air aircraft did not crash. There were forecasts of known icing conditions around Nome, the destination for the Bering Air flight. The Bering Air Caravan likely had similar anti-ice and de-ice systems, and they may have been turned on during departure from Unalakleet.
Like the Wright Air flight, the Bering Air flight slowed down while en route and shortly before the accident. More facts are needed to determine how much the aircraft slowed down, why it slowed down, and whether it was causally related to the accident. If the Bering Air Caravan has a similar flight recording system, and the information is recoverable, that information could prove critical to the NTSB investigation.
Weight-wise, with nine adult passengers, the Bering Air flight was full. NTSB investigators will be closely looking at any issues involving aircraft weight. Fortunately, if all of the wreckage is recovered, the NTSB should be able to determine the gross weight of the aircraft at the time of the accident. Even though wreckage photos appear to suggest that the fuel tanks were breached in the accident and no longer contain fuel, the NTSB should be able to determine approximate fuel weight at the time of the accident through fuel records and engine fuel burn calculations.
At this early stage, Aviation Law Group is not predicting or even suggesting any causation or fault for the Bering Air accident, as there are many facts yet to be determined. However, until those facts become known, it is reasonable to look to other accidents for similar fact patterns and signatures, which is all that we have done here.
Aviation Law Group attorneys have investigated and represented family members of passengers for more than 30 years throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. We are licensed in Alaska and handle cases in both Alaska state and Alaska federal courts. We currently represent numerous Alaska residents and passengers involved in both aircraft and helicopter accidents. All of our attorneys are FAA-certified commercial pilots, and two are FAA-certified mechanics.
If you have any information about the Bering Air accident or are a friend or family member of anyone involved in the accident, we invite you to contact us in the coming weeks or months to answer any questions, to discuss the current status of our investigation, or to discuss any legal issues related to the accident. info@aviationlawgroup.com or direct at (206) 251-5915.
Our sincerest condolences go out to all families who lost a loved one in this tragic accident.
Full NTSB Report of the Wright Air Accident is found below: