In a statement released on Wednesday, the office of Democratic U.S. Representative Mary Peltola confirmed the tragic passing of her husband in an airplane accident.
Anton McParland, her chief of staff, said, “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.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting an investigation into the incident involving a Piper PA 18-150 Super Cub. The aircraft went down at 8:48 p.m. on Tuesday under circumstances yet to be determined, near St. Mary’s, Alaska, located approximately 440 miles (708.11 kilometers) west of Anchorage.
“The pilot flew a hunter and the hunter’s equipment to a remote location 64 miles away from St. Mary’s. After leaving the hunter, the plane took off to return and appears to have crashed in an area of remote, mountainous terrain,” the NTSB wrote in a statement.
The pilot was the sole occupant on board. NTSB investigators are on their way to the scene, joined by the Alaska National Guard.
