A small plane that crashed in rural Alaska, killing the husband of U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, was carrying more than 500 pounds of moose meat and antlers.
Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr., 57, was the only person aboard the plane that crashed on September 12, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of the small western Alaska community of St. Mary’s.
The small Piper PA-18 Super Cub had taken off from a remote hunting camp but crashed shortly after takeoff, according to an investigative report released Thursday.
Eugene was found conscious but died at the scene, the initial police report said National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) states.
A final report with findings on probable cause could take up to two years, the NTSB said after it released the preliminary report containing graphic images of the crash.
Eugene ‘Buzzy’ Peltola Jr. (center), 57, was the only person aboard the plane that crashed on September 12, about 60 miles northeast of the small western Alaska community of St. Mary’s. He is pictured with his wife Mary (right) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in September 2022
The small Piper PA-18 Super Cub had taken off from a remote hunting camp but crashed shortly after takeoff, according to an investigative report released Thursday
The plane crashed in rural Alaska, killing Eugene, and was believed to be carrying more than 500 pounds of moose meat and antlers.
According to the report, two days before the crash, Peltola took five hunters, a guide and equipment from Holy Cross to a site about 80 miles northwest of the community, where the group set up camp next to an airstrip.
The plan was for the group to hunt elk and bring them back to Holy Cross.
On September 11, the group obtained a moose and via satellite messaging made plans with Eugene to transport the meat the next day.
On the day of the crash, Eugene picked up one load of meat and returned to the area for the second load.
Eugene (right) was a former regional director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Alaska and worked for many years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. His wife Mary (left), a Democrat, became the first Alaskan in Congress last year when she was elected to Alaska’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives
One of the hunters estimated there was 50 to 70 more pounds of meat in this load than the first and Eugene tied an antler to the right wing, the report said.
Eugene and one of the hunters discussed the weather and winds, which were “intermittently variable and gusty,” and the 57-year-old was told the gusts were stronger at the runway departure point, the report said.
Only two fighters were on scene when the accident happened, and they provided aid to Eugene after the crash, said Clint Johnson, chief of the Alaska region for the NTSB.
The rest of the party had flown out earlier, although Johnson had no further details about their departure.
There was no evidence indicating catastrophic engine failure and the plane did not emit smoke or fumes, the report said.
The plane’s cargo load, weighed at the crash site, was approximately 520 pounds and consisted primarily of elk meat and elk antler, the report said.
Eugene was a former regional director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Alaska and worked for many years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
His wife Mary, a Democrat, became the first Alaskan in Congress last year when she was elected to Alaska’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Before that, it had been owned for 49 years by Republican Don Young, who died at age 88 on a flight home from DC to Alaska in March 2022.
According to the report, two days before the crash, Peltola took five hunters, a guide and equipment from Holy Cross to a site about 80 miles northwest of the community, where the group set up camp next to an airstrip.
Eugene (below right) received an outpouring of support from across Congress. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she was “shocked, saddened and truly incomprehensible” when she learned of the tragedy
“He was one of those people who was uncomfortably good at everything,” Mary’s chief of staff Anton McParland wrote in a statement about Eugene.
“He had a wonderful sense of humor that brightened the darkest moments. He was definitely the cook of the family. And family was the most important thing to him. He was completely devoted to his parents, children, siblings, extended family – and he simply adored Mary.”
Eugene received an outpouring of support from across Congress. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she was “shocked, saddened and truly indescribable” when she heard of the tragedy.
“It was easy to understand why so many Alaskans called him a friend, and how loved he was by his family,” she wrote on X.
‘He was Mary’s biggest supporter and truly her rock. Today my heart is in Alaska, with Mary and their children.”
Hundreds of people came to Bethel Regional High School on September 16, just days after the crash, to mourn the loss of Eugene.
Mary stood stoically nearby and held an American flag as loved ones paid their respects to her late husband.
After the service ended, the coffin was opened for a joint viewing and one by one all those present waited to say their final goodbyes.
Mary personally thanked everyone as they passed by.
According to local reports, Eugene was buried at the Bethel Memorial Cemetery, where several Alaskan bush planes performed a flyover in a formation of missing men.