Alaska plane crash claims life of US lawmaker's husband

Democratic Representative Mary Peltola said in her statement Wednesday that she is deeply saddened due to the death of her husband Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr who died in a plane crash in a mountainous region in Alaska, calling him a person with a "delightful sense of humour".

According to National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, the plane crashed in a remote and mountainous region of Alaska 64 miles north of St. Mary's.

It was said that only the pilot was on the plane and had flown a hunter and equipment into the area. On Tuesday night, an emergency locator beacon transmission was received by officials at 8:48pm.

The statement released by the lawmaker's office on X noted: "He was one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything. He had a delightful sense of humour that lightened the darkest moments. He was definitely the cook in the family. And family was most important to him."

The statement from her office said: "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," the statement said.

Condolences continued to pour in after the news broke about the death of her husband in a plane crash as Mary Peltola will be going to Alaska.

At that time, she did not identify the deceased as the Congresswoman's husband.

Eugene Peltola served as a regional director of the Alaska Bureau of Indian Affairs for years and retired in 2022.

Fellow lawmakers of Mary paid condolences with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said in a post on X that she was "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."

Democratic Representative Judy Chu of California said in a tweet: "My heart goes out to Mary and her family during this profoundly difficult loss. Mary has been an exceptional colleague, and it’s clear her husband Buzzy touched so many lives with his warmth and kindness."

In 2020, NTSB revealed that from 2008 to 2017, the total aviation accident rate in Alaska was 2.35 times higher than for the rest of the US, with a fatal accident rate that was 1.34 times higher.