Mary Peltola is getting to the bottom of her husband’s death.
Nearly two years ago, the former Alaskan Congresswoman’s husband Eugene Peltola Jr. was killed in a plane crash when the small aircraft he was flying in St. Mary’s, Alaska, crashed shortly after taking off.
According to a final report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), per the Associated Press, the Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub aircraft that Eugene, 57, was flying was 117 pounds overweight due to large amounts of moose meat cargo he was transporting.
In addition to the plane being above its maximum takeoff weight, a set of moose antlers were mounted outside of the plane’s right wing, per the report, which caused a drag when the plane was set in motion.
With these factors combined, as well as turbulent flight conditions and heavy winds, the NTSB report concluded, per the Associated Press, that the drag and lateral weight imbalance “would have likely resulted in the airplane having insufficient power and/or control authority to maneuver above terrain.”
Just one day prior to the crash, according to the report, Eugene had taken a group of hunters to an airstrip at St. Mary’s where they captured a moose and used satellite messaging devices to arrange for the transportation of its meat.
While Eugene had already successfully transported one load of meat on the small aircraft, he did not use any scales to measure the weight of the cargo when he returned for the rest of the load.
And though two hunters were at the site when the crash occurred and provided aid to Eugene, per NTSB, he had succumbed to his injuries within about two hours.
As Clint Johnson, NTSB’s Alaska region chief, told Alaska News Source, the crash was the result of “a perfect storm of contributing factors.”
“If any single aspect of the crash was not present,” he explained, “the flight probably could have landed safely.”
Now, two years after the tragic incident, Mary—who served in the House of Representatives from September 2022 to January 2025—has filed a civil lawsuit against the plane’s owner Bruce Werba for alleged negligence, per Alaska News Source, alleging that the two companies he oversees caused her husband to fly excessive hours, under dangerous conditions and without proper rest.
And as part of the $100,000 suit filed on July 18, per the outlet, she also alleged that the owner instructed her husband to carry cargo externally without a permit.
Unfortunately, this is one of several freak plane accidents in recent years. For more, read on…
Jan. 29: American Airlines Flight 5342 Collides With Army Black Hawk Helicopter
An American Airlines-owned American Eagle jet was approaching the runway at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., just before 9 p.m. ET when it collided with an Army Black Hawk Helicopter, killing everyone aboard both aircraft.
The jet was carrying four crew members and 60 passengers, including a number of athletes returning from a national figure skating camp in Wichita, Kan.
President Donald Trump called it a “dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital.”
The helicopter with three military personnel aboard was last tracked by air traffic control to be traveling at 300 feet, though the customary ceiling under FAA rules near that airport is 200 feet, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The jet’s last logged altitude, per the aircraft tracking site FlightAware, was 375 feet.
The crash remains under investigation.
“We look at the human, the machine and the environment,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters Jan. 30. “We will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. We will look at the aircraft. We will look at the helicopter. We will look at the environment in which they were operating in. That is standard.”
It was the first deadly commercial airline crash on U.S. soil since Colgan Flight 3407 crashed into a Buffalo, N.Y.-area house in 2009, killing all 49 aboard and one person on the ground.
Jan. 31: Medical Transport Jet Crashes in Philadelphia
A Learjet 55 operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed on a street in northeast Philadelphia just after 6 p.m. ET.
All six people aboard the jet—a child who, according to Jet Rescue, had just completed treatment for a life-threatening condition, her mother, a doctor, a paramedic and two pilots—were killed, as was a 37-year-old man who was driving at the time.
The plane had been in the air for less than a minute after taking off at 6:06 p.m. when the crash occurred, according to FlightAware. It was due to stop in Branson, Mo., and then return the patient and her mom home to Mexico.
“She fought quite a lot to survive,” Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold said, “and unfortunately, this tragedy on the way home.”
The crash remains under investigation, per NTSB. A preliminary report released by the agency March 6, per NBC Philadelphia, states that the cockpit voice recorder, or “black box,” didn’t capture any audio from the flight and likely hadn’t worked for several years.
Feb. 6: Small Plane Crash in Alaska Kills 10
Nine passengers were headed from Unalakleet, Ala., to Nome, about 140 miles away, when their Bering Air Cessna Caravan went down about 40 minutes into the flight.
Three bodies were discovered Feb. 7 amid wreckage found approximately 34 miles southeast of Nome, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which noted at the time that they believed the remaining seven, including the pilot, were “inside the aircraft, which was inaccessible due to the condition of the plane.”
Calling Alaska “a big small town,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a statement, “When tragedy strikes, we’re never far removed from the Alaskans directly impacted. But that also means we come together as a community to grieve and heal.”
The NTSB said it would be investigating the crash.
Feb. 10: Vince Neil’s Learjet Involved in Fatal Collision
One person was killed when a Learjet 35A owned by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil collided with a parked plane (later identified as a Gulfstream G-200) when it veered from the runway while trying to land at Arizona’s Scottsdale Airport at 2:39 p.m. local time, according to a statement from Nashville-based attorney Worrick Robinson IV.
Neil was not onboard at the time.
His lawyer called it “a rapidly evolving situation” under “ongoing investigation,” adding, “Mr. Neil’s thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today.”
There were four aboard the Learjet and the FAA later confirmed the pilot had died, while the co-pilot and one passenger were seriously injured.
Per WMTV 15 News, a preliminary report released March 3 by the NTSB stated that surveillance and cell phone video footage of the incident showed the jet’s rear left landing gear in an “askew” position as it approached the runway in Scottsdale.
The report also noted that the same flight crew had reported an issue landing in McAlester, Okla., on June 20, 2024.
The pilot hired a mechanic who performed maintenance, the report detailed, and additional maintenance was conducted on the plane in December. A mechanic who serviced the landing gear noted that “nothing appeared unusual,” the report stated, but the left landing gear “took an excessive amount of grease.”
Feb. 17: Delta Jet Crash Lands in Toronto and Flips Over
Delta Flight 4819, originating from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, crash-landed upside down at Toronto Pearson International Airport and burst into flames with 80 people aboard.
Everyone survived, and 21 people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Toronto Pearson president and CEO Deborah Flint.
“All of a sudden, I just remember being fully sideways,” passenger Pete Koukov said on TODAY Feb. 18. “I was looking down and just seeing like sparks and flames and whatever was grinding against the ground. It happened pretty dang quick and we were just upside down, hanging from our seat belts.”
Ultimately, he added, “Everyone got off in a pretty orderly fashion. It didn’t seem too insane once the plane had stopped and everyone realized, for the most part, they were OK because no one was seriously injured.”
Flint said the incident had occurred in clear conditions and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada was investigating.
Feb. 19: Private Planes Collide at Arizona Airport, Killing 2
A Lancair 360 MK II and a Cessna 172S, both small single-engine planes, collided midair around 8:30 a.m. MT at Marana Regional Airport, near Tucson, Ariz.
The Cessna “landed uneventfully,” while the Lancair “impacted terrain near runway 3 and a post-impact fire ensued,” killing at least two people, the NTSB said in a statement.
According to the FAA, two people were aboard each plane and a man and a woman on the Lancair were later identified as the deceased.
“On behalf of the Town of Marana and the Marana Regional Airport, our hearts go out to all the individuals and families impacted by this event,” Marana Regional Airport Superintendent Galen Beem said in a statement, per AZFamily. “This is an unprecedented event, and we are grateful for the swift response from the Marana Police Department and Northwest Fire District.”
March 1: FedEx Plane Engine Catches Fire After Colliding With Bird
FedEx Flight 3609, headed from Newark to Indianapolis, struck a bird shortly after takeoff and had to make an emergency landing.
While footage of the incident showing the Boeing 767 shooting flames was dramatic, the plane landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport at 8:07 a.m. ET and the three people aboard the cargo flight were uninjured.
“Our B767 crew declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark after dealing with the resulting engine damage, including an engine fire,” FedEx said in a statement to NBC News, noting they were thankful for the “quick actions” of the crew and first responders.
Aviation expert John Cox told NBC News that aircrafts such as the Boeing 767 are certified to fly on one engine in case the other fails.
“Now, it’s just like any other mechanical failure of an engine, you’re down to a single engine operation,” Cox said. “There are procedures for that, and pilots train for it, and it results in a safe landing.”
March 29: Small Plane Crashes Into Minnesota Home
A single-jet aircraft, piloted by U.S. Bank vice chair Terry Dolan, crashed into a two-person home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
That same day, Brooklyn Park Fire Chief Shawn Conway confirmed at a news conference that there were no survivors, adding that it wasn’t clear how many people how many people were aboard the plane.
Dolan was confirmed dead two days later by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner due to “multiple blunt force injuries.”
And the residents of the home—which was engulfed in a massive fire after impact—Kenneth Tobacman and his wife Mary Butler have since recounted the terrifying experience from their perspective.
“All of a sudden there’s a big boom,” Kenneth said on Good Morning America. “The lights went out, and I saw a flash. Sparks or something, or a little bit of smoke. I thought, ‘What the hell?’”
