Moose Antlers Were a Factor in Deadly Alaska Plane Crash

A small plane that crashed in 2023 while carrying moose meat for hunters in remote western Alaska, killing the husband of former US Rep. Mary Peltola, was overweight for takeoff and encountered drag from a set of antlers mounted outside, federal investigators said in a report released Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board, in its final report on the crash that killed Eugene Peltola Jr., who was the only person on board the aircraft, listed several factors in its findings. Highlights from the AP:

• The location: The Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub crashed Sept. 12, 2023, northeast of the small western Alaska community of St. Mary's. Peltola had days earlier taken five hunters, a guide, and equipment from Holy Cross to an airstrip at St. Mary's. The group set up camp next to the runway, which was near hilly terrain and about 70 miles northwest of Holy Cross.
• The moose meat: The day before the crash, the group got a moose and made plans with Peltola for him to transport the meat, the NTSB said. On the day of the crash, Peltola had already picked up a load of meat and had returned for another. He did not use scales to weigh the cargo.
• Factors at play: The report flagged decisions by Peltola to fly the plane above its maximum takeoff weight and affix moose antlers on the right wing strut that caused a drag, along with turbulent conditions in the area.
• More on the antlers: The agency said carrying antlers on the outside of a plane is a common practice in Alaska but requires formal approval from the FAA, with a notation in the plane's logbooks. "There was no evidence that such approval had been granted," the report states.
• The finding: 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 states.

• A remote location: Two hunters were at the site when the crash occurred and provided aid to Peltola, the agency previously reported. Peltola died of his injuries within about two hours, the agency said. "Given the remote location of the accident site, which was about 400 miles from a hospital, and accessible only by air, providing the pilot with prompt medical treatment ... was not possible," Tuesday's report states.
• More on Peltola: Peltola was a former Alaska regional director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and worked for decades for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He had received his commercial pilot's license in 2004.
• And his wife: His death came almost exactly a year after Mary Peltola was sworn in as Alaska's lone US House member, following a special election. Mary Peltola, who is Yup'ik, was the first Alaska Native in Congress. She won a full, two-year term in November 2022 but lost her reelection bid last November. She has kept a relatively low public profile since.