Gene Peltola, the husband of Rep. Mary Peltola, died in a plane crash on Tuesday. The representative is flying back from Washington, D.C.
Update: The National Transportation and Safety Board wrote that it is ” investigating the crash of a Piper PA 18-150 Super Cub that crashed under unknown circumstances near St. Mary’s, Alaska on Sept. 12 at 8:48 PM AKDT. 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 pilot was the only person on board.”
NTSB investigators are responding to the scene with the Alaska Air National Guard.
“We are devastated to share that Mary’s husband, Eugene Peltola Jr. — ‘Buzzy’ to all who loved him — passed away earlier this morning following a plane crash in Alaska,” wrote Anton McParland, chief of staff to Rep. Peltola.
“He was one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything,” McParland said. “He had a delightful sense of humor that lightened the darkest moments. He was definitely the cook in the family. And family was most important to him. He was completely devoted to his parents, kids, siblings, extended family, and friends — and he simply adored Mary. We are heartbroken for the family’s loss.”
Gene Peltola was a director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Alaska and worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for decades. He had been community leader in Bethel.
After he crashed, he was being attended to by at least one hunter in the area. The Air National Guard launched to respond to the crash, which was near a well-known moose hunting lodge near St. Mary’s.
Word reached Must Read Alaska early Wednesday that he dropped a hunter off and crashed on takeoff on Tuesday evening. Hunters reached him but couldn’t stop the bleeding.
The statement from the Alaska Democratic Party reads, “Our deepest condolences are with Rep. Mary Peltola and the Peltola family as they grieve the passing of Gene Peltola Jr. Please keep them in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers as we remember and commemorate Buzzy’s life.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski issued a statement on Twitter: “I am shocked, saddened and truly beyond words to express my grief at the loss of Gene Peltola Jr. Anyone who met Buzzy felt his warmth, generosity and charm. It was easy to see why so many Alaskans called him a friend, and how he was so loved by his family.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy wrote, “Rose and I are shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of Gene Peltola. We will be praying for Mary, their children, and all of the Peltola family. Gene’s dedication to Alaska ran deep, and he will be dearly missed.”
“Words cannot express the pain of suddenly and tragically losing a loved one. Our team sends prayers and heartfelt condolences to Rep. Mary Peltola and her family in this time of grieving,” said Nick Begich, whose grandfather, Rep. Nick Begich, died in a plane crash in Alaska. Nick is running against Rep. Peltola for Congress.
Alaska’s former Congressman Don Young also died aboard a plane, although it was a commercial jet and his death was not related to a crash. He died March 18, 2022 coming home to Alaska. Former Sen. Ted Stevens’ former wife Ann Stevens died in a plane crash in 1978, and Sen. Stevens also died in a plane crash, after the small plane he was flew into a mountain Aug. 9,. 2010 in Western Alaska.
Rep. Peltola also lost her mother, LizAnn Williams, in May.
