Overloaded Plane Crash in Alaska: How Improper Loading and Unapproved Cargo Led to Tragedy
When a Simple Hunting Trip Turned Deadly: The Alaska Moose Meat Plane Crash
It was supposed to be a routine hunting trip. A group of hunters flew into the remote wilderness near St. Mary’s, Alaska on September 12, 2023. They successfully harvested a moose, and the first flight to ferry the meat to a larger airport went smoothly. But on the second trip—just after takeoff—the small Piper PA-18 plane crashed. The pilot, the only person onboard, died shortly after the accident despite first aid from the hunters.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spent nearly two years investigating this crash. Their final report, released in July 2025, revealed a shocking truth: the plane was overloaded by 117 pounds—carrying 520 pounds of cargo when it was only certified to handle 403 pounds. The excess weight came from moose meat and a set of antlers strapped to the wing. While Alaska allows antlers to be hung on aircraft wings, this particular plane lacked the required Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for the practice.
The NTSB concluded that the crash was caused by excess weight and the unapproved external load of antlers, which “degraded takeoff performance and flight characteristics,” leading to a loss of control.
The Human Cost: A Life Lost and a Family Devastated
The pilot killed in this crash was Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr., the husband of former U.S. Representative Mary Peltola, who represented Alaska in the House from 2022 to 2025. Peltola was also a former regional director of the Alaska Bureau of Indian Affairs and had retired in 2022.
At the time of the crash, Mary Peltola had just attended a September 11 commemoration in Anchorage with President Joe Biden and flown with him to Washington, D.C. on Air Force One. The day before the crash, Biden called Peltola a “devoted public servant” and “a friend to all.” The president’s words now carry even greater weight: “He is being remembered as a friend to all. But we know he was, first and always, the adored and devoted husband and father to a family now in pain.”
This wasn’t just a tragic accident—it was a preventable disaster that left a family grieving and a community in shock.