Latest news with #PiperPA18-150SuperCub
NBC News
5 days ago
- NBC News
Plane was overloaded with moose meat in crash that killed Alaska lawmaker's husband, NTSB says
A plane that crashed and killed the husband of then-U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, two years ago was overloaded with moose meat and antlers, federal investigators said this week. Eugene 'Buzzy' Peltola Jr., 57, was piloting a Piper PA 18-150 Super Cub when it went down in the mountains northeast of St. Mary's on Sept. 12, 2023. The veteran pilot was working with a group of hunters who had camped out in the remote wilderness and he was ferrying away parts of a moose they had killed, officials said. The pilot did not use scales to weigh the cargo and the airplane was 117 pounds over its maximum takeoff weight, according to the NTSB's final report. Moose antlers were secured to the plane's right wing, a normal practice in Alaska. But that requires FAA sign off and there was "no evidence that such approval had been granted for the accident airplane," according to the report. The plane was carrying about 500 pounds of moose — 110 pounds of leg, 150 pounds of hind quarters, 50 pounds of ribs, 110 pounds of various other cuts and 70 pounds of antlers, NTSB records showed. "The downdrafts, along with the overweight airplane and the added drag and lateral weight imbalance caused by the antlers on the right wing, would likely have resulted in the airplane having insufficient power and/or control authority to maneuver above terrain," the report said. Shortly after takeoff, hunter Travis Hopkins was on the ground and 'recalled hearing a sputter sound and then silence,' according to previously disclosed NTSB findings. Hopkins ran to the top of a nearby hill and spotted wreckage before racing to the scene, finding "the pilot still conscious in the front seat but he had sustained facial injuries," the NTSB said. Hopkins used satellite communications to call for help at 8:48 p.m., officials said. An Alaska Air National Guard helicopter arrived at some point between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. in hopes of taking the pilot to the closest hospital about 400 miles away in Anchorage, officials said. The pilot was talking and didn't appear to be in obvious pain but "he became less responsive over the next two hours until he became non-responsive and they could no longer find a pulse," the NTSB said. The victim's "cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and his manner of death was accident," the NTSB said. The pilot's wife, Mary Peltola, became a national figure in August 2022 when she became the first native Alaskan to win a Congressional seat. The Democrat topped GOP rivals that included former Gov. Sarah Palin, to take the seat that had been previous held by Rep. Don Young, who died in March that year at the age of 88.
eNCA
24-07-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Moose meat and antlers caused Alaska plane crash: report
Too much moose meat and a set of antlers strapped to a wing brought a small plane down in Alaska, killing its pilot, according to a crash report published this week. Eugene Peltola died hours after his aircraft -- carrying over 225kg of moose meat -- plunged into mountains near St Mary's in southwest Alaska in September 2023. A report released by the US National Transportation Safety Board found the hefty meat cargo meant the plane was more than 100 pounds over its takeoff weight when it left a remote airstrip in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The presence of a pair of moose antlers on the right wing strut of the plane -- a common practice in Alaska -- would likely have made flight even trickier, the report said, because of their effect on aerodynamics. Clint Johnson, the Alaska Region Chief for NTSB, was cited by local media as saying there were three main factors that contributed to the crash of the Piper PA 18-150 Super Cub. "Number one was, obviously, the overweight condition -- no ifs, ands, or buts there," he said, according to the website "The parasitic drag from the antlers that were attached to the right wing, and then also the last thing would be the wind, the mechanical wind turbulence at the end of the takeoff area, which unfortunately, led to this accident. "If you would have been able to take one of those items out, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. But those things all in combination led to this tragic accident." Peltola was the husband of former US Representative Mary Peltola, the first Alaska Native to sit in Congress. The Democrat beat former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in a 2022 special election, but lost her re-election bid in November last year.
The Sun
24-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
Moose meat and antlers caused fatal Alaska plane crash: NTSB report
LOS ANGELES: A small plane crash in Alaska that killed its pilot in 2023 was caused by an overload of moose meat and antlers strapped to the wing, according to a US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report released this week. Eugene Peltola died after his Piper PA 18-150 Super Cub, carrying over 500 pounds (225 kilograms) of moose meat, crashed near St Mary's in southwest Alaska. The report found the aircraft was more than 100 pounds over its takeoff weight when departing a remote airstrip in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Additionally, moose antlers attached to the right wing strut worsened aerodynamics, making flight control difficult. Clint Johnson, NTSB Alaska Region Chief, cited three key factors: 'Number one was, obviously, the overweight condition -- no ifs, ands, or buts there. The parasitic drag from the antlers that were attached to the right wing, and then also the last thing would be the wind, the mechanical wind turbulence at the end of the takeoff area, which unfortunately, led to this accident.' Peltola was the husband of former US Representative Mary Peltola, the first Alaska Native in Congress. She won a 2022 special election against Sarah Palin but lost her re-election bid in 2024. - AFP
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pilot died after plane took off and hit tree
A plane crash in which a pilot died after taking off solo from a private airfield was likely to have been caused by a low lift-off speed, a report has found. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the crash happened on the pilot's second flight in the aircraft, a modified Piper PA18-150 Super Cub, from Defford Airfield in Worcester last August. In his first flight at the airfield, also known as Croft Farm Airstrip, the pilot had flown with an instructor in the front, investigators said. The plane hit a tree, crashed and caught fire, leaving the 65-year-old man with injuries that were not survivable, the AAIB said. Investigators said, within two seconds of getting airborne, the plane was in a left turn heading towards obstacles. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft take a steep nose-up direction, but said it was not able to climb above a tree. The plane appeared to hit the tree and then made a steep descent, nose-first, into the ground, investigators were told. Twigs were found caught in the tail wheel showing the flight path and the height when the plane hit the tree. "The investigation considered it likely the relatively low lift-off speed… contributed to the pilot having insufficient aerodynamic control," the report said. The pilot had more than 1,500 hours of experience in non-commercial flying and had regularly flown from Croft Farm, it added. He did not have underlying medical issues. Investigators were unable to find any evidence of pre-accident faults with the plane and the weather had been good, with no low cloud. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Air accidents Investigation Branch
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Worcester air crash pilot died after plane took off and hit tree
A plane crash in which a pilot died after taking off solo from a private airfield was likely to have been caused by a low lift-off speed, a report has Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the crash happened on the pilot's second flight in the aircraft, a modified Piper PA18-150 Super Cub, from Defford Airfield in Worcester last his first flight at the airfield, also known as Croft Farm Airstrip, the pilot had flown with an instructor in the front, investigators plane hit a tree, crashed and caught fire, leaving the 65-year-old man with injuries that were not survivable, the AAIB said. Investigators said, within two seconds of getting airborne, the plane was in a left turn heading towards reported seeing the aircraft take a steep nose-up direction, but said it was not able to climb above a plane appeared to hit the tree and then made a steep descent, nose-first, into the ground, investigators were were found caught in the tail wheel showing the flight path and the height when the plane hit the tree."The investigation considered it likely the relatively low lift-off speed… contributed to the pilot having insufficient aerodynamic control," the report pilot had more than 1,500 hours of experience in non-commercial flying and had regularly flown from Croft Farm, it added. He did not have underlying medical were unable to find any evidence of pre-accident faults with the plane and the weather had been good, with no low cloud. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
