The families of three more victims of last year's fatal Bering Air plane crash have sued the regional airline.
The pilot and all nine passengers died when Bering Air Flight 445 crashed on sea ice on its way from Unalakleet to Nome.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that the Cessna Caravan was overweight when it flew into icing conditions.The agency hasn’t yet determined the cause of the crash.
The family of one of the passengers, JaDee Moncur, filed the first wrongful death lawsuit in Nome Superior Court last week.
Two more lawsuits followed in Nome Superior Court in the days after – one filed by the family of passenger Talaluk Katchatag and another one by the families of Donnell Erickson and Kameron Hartvigson.
All of the complaints are based on the NTSB preliminary report and assert claims for wrongful death.
In a statement, Bering Air President Russell Rowe said it would be inappropriate for the company to comment on the lawsuit now “out of respect for the legal process and the families involved.”
“Bering Air continues to cooperate fully with the NTSB, the FAA, and all other appropriate authorities as their investigations continue,” Rowe wrote.
The NTSB expects to release a full report into the crash in early summer.
This story has been updated to include comment from Bering Air.
