ANCHORAGE, ALASKA: Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr, the husband of US Rep Mary Peltola, died while awaiting rescue after the airplane he was piloting crashed in a remote area of Western Alaska.
According to Anton McParland, Mary Peltola's chief of staff, she is returning to Alaska to be with her family following the crash.
Solo flight turns into tragedy
The National Transportation Safety Board reported that Eugene Peltola Jr was both the pilot and the sole occupant of a Piper PA-18 SuperCub that crashed under circumstances that are currently unknown.
The crash occurred around 8.45 pm on Tuesday when Peltola was transporting a hunter and the hunter's equipment to a remote location situated 64 miles away from the Western Alaska village of St Mary's, according to The Sun.
“After leaving the hunter, the plane took off to return and appears to have crashed in an area of remote, mountainous terrain,” said the NTSB spokesperson Sarah Sulick.
At the time of the incident, the weather conditions in the area were described as having approximately 10 mph winds coming from the northwest, and the skies were reported to be cloudy, as stated by the National Weather Service.
After the crash, Eugene Peltola Jr received assistance from two hunters who were present at the crash site, according to the Alaska State Troopers.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, located at Anchorage's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, received a satellite signal from the plane's emergency locator transmitter at 8.48 pm on Tuesday, September 12.
Subsequently, an Alaska Air National Guard rescue team was dispatched and arrived at the scene early Wednesday.
“The pilot was confirmed to be Peltola who was flying a Piper Supercub that crashed just after departure,” troopers said in an online report. “Peltola unfortunately died before the rescue team arrived. The rescue team transported Peltola and the two uninjured hunters back to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.”
"He was one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything," the statement continued.
"He had a delightful sense of humor that lightened the darkest moments. He was definitely the cook in the family. And family was most important to him," it added.
State Troopers reported that Eugene Peltola Jr's remains were transported to the state medical examiner's office for a comprehensive examination.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy disclosed on Wednesday that a specialized team was in transit from Washington, DC, to Alaska to conduct an inquiry into the crash.
This team includes representatives from the aircraft manufacturer Piper, engine manufacturer Lycoming, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Homendy also stated that NTSB meteorologists would collect weather data from the region. Additionally, investigators will review details about the aircraft's departure and destination, as well as whether Peltola was operating the plane on a private flight.
Tributes pour in for Peltola Jr
Condolences and remembrances for Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr were shared on Wednesday.
“We are devastated to share that Mary’s husband, Eugene Peltola Jr. — ′Buzzy’ to all of us who knew and loved him — passed away earlier this morning following a plane accident in Alaska,” her chief of staff, Anton McParland, said in the statement issued Wednesday morning.
Peltola, the first Alaska Native elected to Congress last year, was on her way back home to support her family, as mentioned in the statement. McParland requested that the family be granted privacy during their mourning.
The Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub appears to have experienced an unspecified crash during takeoff after Peltola had dropped off a hunter and equipment approximately 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of St Mary's, according to National Transportation Safety Board chairperson Jennifer Homendy's remarks in a news conference.
Alaska's history of plane accidents
Alaska has a history of plane accidents involving members of the state's congressional delegation. This includes the 1972 disappearance of a small aircraft in the Portage area carrying then-US House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, who was the father of the late NPR journalist Cokie Roberts, and US Rep Nick Begich, the father of former Sen Mark Begich.
Russell Brown, Begich's aide, and pilot Don Jonz were also on board.
In 2010, Alaska's longest-serving US senator, Ted Stevens, was among the five individuals killed in a floatplane crash north of Dillingham.
Stevens' first wife, Ann Stevens, and four others lost their lives in a plane crash in Anchorage in 1978, while the senator survived with injuries.
Mary Peltola was elected to succeed the long-serving US Rep Don Young, who died of natural causes in March 2022 aboard an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle.
McParland confirmed that the congresswoman's team would continue to manage her office and engage with constituents while the family goes through this grieving period.
