Crash

Joseph "Joe" Palmer and Tom Fisher worked for Calista Brice, a subsidiary of Calista Corporation.

Pilot Eric Middlebrook, 68, of Anchorage died along with three passengers from California: Ronald Schmidt, 65, Lance Schmidt, 20, and Daniel Simons, 82.

The plane was chartered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fly from Anchorage to Cape Newenham, located roughly 25 miles south of Platinum.

The civilian-contracted aircraft crashed at the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, roughly 450 miles west of Anchorage.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the Cessna 185 was taking off from a remote airstrip in the area when its left landing gear strut failed, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Aniak.

On Tuesday, July 22, the National Transportation Safety Board released its final report on the Sept. 2023 plane crash near St. Mary’s that resulted in the death of pilot Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr., 57.

The civil suit filed in Bethel Superior Court on July 18 alleges negligent actions by hunting guide Bruce Werba and two companies under Werba’s control caused Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr.’s death.

No injuries have been reported, but the plane sustained significant damage, according to federal air safety officials. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Four people who died when a plane they were flying in crashed near St. Mary’s last month faced weather conditions that caused another plane to turn back shortly before the accident, according to a preliminary report released Oct. 3 by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Two of the four men who died were Alaska residents and two lived out of state, according to troopers.