Eugene Peltola Jr. was transporting about 520 pounds of moose meat and antlers during the solo flight that took his life two weeks ago, according to a preliminary crash report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board. Eugene, the husband of Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK), was undertaking his second flight of the day on Sept. 12 when his plane, a Piper PA-18, “sustained substantial damage” and crashed near St. Mary’s, Alaska, the report said. Onlookers noticed irregularities before takeoff, according to the report. “The hunters noticed that the ground roll was slightly longer than before, and that the airplane appeared to be more ‘labored’ than during the previous flight.” Investigators made no determinations as to the probable cause of the crash in their initial findings.
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