ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska-specific gaps in reliable weather technology, historic forecasting issues, and the need to review airspace congestion were key concerns members of Alaska’s congressional delegation covered during a U.S. Department of Transportation news conference Tuesday, just days after a commuter plane crashed amid wintry conditions near Nome, killing all 10 onboard.
“The FAA put out a release saying they were going to review other airspaces that had a lot of congestion particularly as it related to fixed-wing aviation, military aviation and when the secretary and I talked this weekend, they made sure to include the Anchorage bowl, which Alaskans know is a very busy place,” Sen. Dan Sullivan said.
Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Rep. Nick Begich joined Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and National Transporation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy in addressing reporters in person from Washington, D.C.
To illustrate the need for more weather monitoring technology, Murkowski said many Alaska pilots currently have to receive weather updates from people on the ground because 51 of the state’s 150 Automated Weather Observing Systems, known as AWOS, were not working.
“I think we owe more to the people of Alaska to make sure that the technologies that we have in place, whether it’s the AWOS … whether it is making sure that we have certification for weather observers in our communities, making sure that we actually have the broadband so that these systems work,” Murkowski said. “We have work to do. But we owe it to Alaskans, we owe it to Americans everywhere, to make sure that we can be as safe as possible.”
Alaska’s varied terrain — ranging from mountains and glaciers to lakes, thick forests, and seemingly endless tundra — can make flying challenging.
But so, too, can rapidly changing weather conditions. Microclimates in some areas mean the weather at an airport, for example, can be much different than conditions just miles away.
New U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who was confirmed Jan. 28, emphasized the need for Alaskans to have reliable weather information as he pledged to work with the delegation and other federal agencies on an aviation safety plan.
“You have really rough weather in Alaska,” Duffy said. “If you need good weather information in any place in the 50 states, you need it Alaska.
“We have to change that, we need the resources to make sure that we have weather data that’s accurate so pilots can make judgment calls that bring us more safety.”
When asked about the Trump administration’s consideration to slash trillions from the federal budget, Sullivan said aviation safety is not part of “waste and redundancy” being cut, saying new legislation could be the answer.
The senator pointed to past bills, like the FAA Reauthorization Act, which increased funding for hiring air traffic controllers, and Federal Aviation Alaska Safety Initiative, which paid for more AWOS systems, as examples.
“When it comes to aviation safety, whether in America or in Alaska, the Congress in a very bipartisan way has spoken forcefully,” Sullivan said. “I don’t anticipate any funding cuts there. We will fight them certainly as it relates to Alaska, but we are off to a good start on this initiative.”
As far as the investigation, Homendy said while Bering Air Flight 445’s engine monitoring system would be sent to D.C., she confirmed that investigators will examine the wreckage in Nome.
Homenday also said while there’s still much work to be done in improving overall safety, Alaska has seen a downward trend in crashes, saying in 2020, there were 13.54 crashes per 100,000 flight hours.
That number dropped to 9.05 in 2023, Homendy said.
The plane — a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft owned by Bering Air — was flying from Unalakleet to Nome on Thursday, Feb 6.
The flight took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., according to Bering Air Director of Operations David Olson.
Data from FlightRadar shows a Bering Air flight last reporting info at 3:16 p.m. over the Norton Sound.
On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the plane had been located and that there were no survivors.
During an interview with Alaska’s News Source, the head of Alaska’s National Transportation Safety Board regional office, Clint Johnson, said the wreckage has been recovered and is being stored at a hangar at the Nome Airport. At the same time, pieces are being sorted to determine what will stay in Nome and what will be sent to a lab in D.C. for further testing.
It was reported that while the plane was equipped with an Emergency Locator Transmitter, which provides a signal in case of a crash, no signal was ever sent.
Johnson said that’s one of many pieces the investigation will be looking into, adding investigations similar to this can often take as long as a year to conclude.
The identities of the nine passengers and single pilot on board are as follows:
- 34-year-old Chad Antill, of Nome (pilot)
- 52-year-old Liane Ryan, of Wasilla
- 58-year-old Donnell Erickson, of Nome
- 30-year-old Andrew Gonzalez, of Wasilla
- 41-year-old Kameron Hartvigson, of Anchorage
- 46-year-old Rhone Baumgartner, of Anchorage
- 52-year-old Jadee Moncur, of Eagle River
- 45-year-old Ian Hofmann, of Anchorage
- 34-year-old Talaluk Katchatag, of Unalakleet
- 48-year-old Carol Mooers, of Unalakleet
According to the Alaska Department of Public Safety, their bodies were transported to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where they were then sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office on Saturday.
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