Rep. Peltola Announces Husband’s Tragic Death in Alaska Plane Crash

The husband of Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) died in a plane crash early Wednesday morning in Alaska, her “heartbroken” office announced in a statement.

Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr. was the only person aboard the plane, which the Federal Aviation Administration said crashed shortly after takeoff around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday near St. Mary’s, Alaska.

FAA spokesperson Sarah Sulick told the Anchorage Daily News that Eugene Peltola had flown a hunter to a “remote location” about 64 miles from St. Mary’s and crashed when leaving to return. Eugene lived in Bethel—about 100 miles south of St. Mary’s.

Online FAA records said the plane, a Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, crashed under unknown circumstances. Investigators are expected to reach the crash site by Thursday, Sulick told the Daily News.

Rep. Peltola’s chief of staff, Anton McParland, paid tribute to Eugene in a statement, writing that he had a “delightful sense of humor in the darkest moments,” was “obnoxiously good at everything,” and that family was “most important to him.”

Peltola’s office said she was returning to Alaska to be with family, leaving work duties to be handled by her staff in Washington.

Eugene was formerly the director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Alaska from 2017 to 2022, and previously spent 34 years working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska.

He was by his wife’s side when she was sworn into Congress last September, which made her the first-ever Alaskan native to represent the state.

Tributes to Eugene poured in on Wednesday morning.

Alaska’s Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by Eugene’s death, adding that his “dedication to Alaska ran deep, and he will be dearly missed.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote that she was “truly beyond words to express” her grief over the loss.

“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,” she said.