美国国家运输安全委员会（NTSB）周四发布报告，认定2月在阿拉斯加海冰上坠毁、造成10人遇难的通勤飞机事故系多重因素叠加所致。[1]该事故发生在从Unalakleet至Nome的150英里定期航班上，飞机在Nome东南方约30英里处失踪，残骸后由漂流冰屑中回收。[1]
NTSB将责任指向运营商Bering Air的超重飞行历史与联邦航空局（FAA）的监管缺陷。[1]调查发现，Bering Air飞行记录中存在系统性的重量报告不足和超重运营模式，同时飞机在冰冷条件下仍维持超重状态。[1]FAA对该公司的监管不足，未能识别其疫情后运营复杂性的增加和快速增长。[1]此外，飞行员在准备进近时未能保持充分空速也是致事原因。[1]
NTSB主席Jennifer Homendy表示，这场悲剧"不是单一故障的结果，而是一系列可预防的故障导致了关键安全裕度的侵蚀"。[1]
The National Transportation Safety Board released findings Thursday into a commuter aircraft accident that claimed ten lives off Alaska in February, pointing to a pattern of overweight flights by the operator Bering Air and insufficient federal oversight as primary contributing factors [1]. The NTSB determined that the airline had a systematic history of underreported weight and overweight operations, while the Federal Aviation Administration failed to identify increased operational complexity and rapid growth at the carrier following the pandemic [1].
The aircraft was operating a routine 150-mile commute between Unalakleet and Nome when it disappeared approximately 30 miles southeast of Nome; wreckage was later recovered from drifting sea ice [1]. According to the investigation, the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach, and the aircraft was overweight in icing conditions [1]. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy characterized the tragedy as not "the result of a single failure, but rather a series of preventable failures that eroded critical safety margins" [1].