Too Much Moose Meat Blamed For Fatal 2023 Plane Crash That Killed Alaska rep. Mary Peltola's Husband

KTUU/Alaska's News Source/NTSB/YouTube

While it decidedly feels for illustration it's been happening much often lately, commercialized hose crashes are incredibly rare, particularly considering really galore miles they alert each year. Small, backstage planes, however, are a wholly different story. So erstwhile erstwhile Alaska Representative Mary Peltola's husband, Eugene, collapsed a Piper Super Cub successful southwest Alaska backmost successful 2023, it was tragic but besides acold from unheard of. Recently, nan National Transportation Safety Board concluded its investigation into nan clang and believes it knows why nan level collapsed — it was overloaded pinch moose meat. 

According to nan NTSB's last report, while connected a hunting trip, Peltola attempted to alert retired of a distant airstrip carrying moose nutrient and antlers. Unfortunately for Peltola, he loaded excessively overmuch weight onto nan plane, putting it 117 pounds aliases 6% complete its maximum takeoff limit. He besides had a group of antlers strapped to nan correct helping strut, which investigators said apt contributed to nan crash. Had nan level not been overloaded, nan antlers whitethorn person been little of an issue, but nan operation of added weight and resistance yet proved fatal.

Wind was besides reportedly a factor, with Clint Johnson, nan NTSB's Alaska Region Chief, telling Alaska's KTUU, "Number 1 was, obviously, nan overweight information — nary ifs, ands, aliases buts there. The parasitic resistance from nan antlers that were attached to nan correct wing, and past besides nan past point would beryllium nan wind, nan mechanical upwind turbulence astatine nan extremity of nan takeoff area, which unfortunately, led to this accident. If you would person been capable to return 1 of those items out, we astir apt wouldn't beryllium having this conversation. But those things each successful operation led to this tragic accident."

Strapping antlers to nan exterior of a mini level is reportedly reasonably communal successful Alaska, but, astatine slightest connected paper, you're still required to get support from the Federal Aviation Administration earlier doing so. According to nan report, though, location is nary grounds that Peltola's scheme had been approved to do so. And while a plane's maximum takeoff weight tin beryllium nan aforesaid arsenic its maximum landing weight, that's not ever nan case. According to nan NTSB's report, nan level apt would person still been 180 pounds complete nan Super Cub's landing weight, moreover erstwhile accounting for nan substance consumed successful nan air.

In summation to Peltola overloading nan plane, nan study besides states that it had undergone extended repairs passim its 7 decades of service, and overmuch of that activity was done earlier nan FAA updated its guidelines connected repairs and restorations. The study didn't tie a conclusion 1 measurement aliases nan different arsenic to whether aliases not those repairs contributed to Peltola's crash, however, KTUU reports a suit has been filed, claiming Bruce Werba and nan 2 companies he controlled, Alaska Pike Safari's & Wilderness Adventures and Neitz Aviation, Inc., behaved negligently and caused Peltola "to alert excessive hours, to alert without capable slumber aliases rest, to alert nether unreasonably vulnerable conditions, and to transportation an outer load without nan required permit."

The suit besides alleges that neither of nan companies named successful nan suit had gotten a certificate of self-insurance from nan Alaska Division of Workers' Compensation and frankincense deprived Peltola of nan due compensation. The suit reportedly seeks astatine slightest $100,000 successful damages, arsenic good arsenic a assemblage trial.