Two people are dead and another is hospitalized following a Monday afternoon plane crash in Nanwalek.
Alaska State Troopers received “multiple 911 calls” about a plane crash near the Nanwalek airport that occurred on Monday, April 28, at 1:57 p.m., according to a Tuesday morning dispatch. According to the dispatch, troopers responded to the scene as first responders and “Good Samaritans” in Nanwalek helped provide medical assistance.
One adult male passenger, who remains unnamed, was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital with “serious injuries.”
The other two occupants, 48-year-old Homer resident and pilot Daniel Bunker and 37-year-old Anchorage resident Jenny Miller, were killed in the crash. Bunker was a pilot and bear-viewing guide with Smokey Bay Air in Homer.
AST Communications Director Austin McDaniel confirmed Tuesday that the plane was a Cessna 207 operating a commercial flight for Smokey Bay Air. According to a preliminary accident and incident notification from the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft “crashed for unknown reasons on the runway and went into the water at the end of the runway.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the cause of the crash, NTSB media relations spokesperson Peter Knudson confirmed Tuesday.
“An NTSB investigator is traveling to the accident site. After the wreckage is documented, it will then be moved to a secure facility for further evaluation,” he wrote in an email to Homer News.
A preliminary report is expected within 30 days; the final report, which is expected in 12-24 months, will detail a “probable cause” of the crash along with any contributing factors.
Witnesses to the crash, or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation, are asked to contact NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy posted on Facebook Tuesday morning that he and First Lady Rose Dunleavy were “heartbroken” by the crash.
“We send our deepest condolences to the families of Daniel Bunker and Jenny Miller, and we’re praying for the recovery of the injured passenger,” he wrote.
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This story was updated on Tuesday with information from NTSB.
