2 dead in Friday morning plane crash

Troopers were notified around 11:30 a.m.

Alaska State Troopers logo.

Alaska State Troopers logo.

A Happy Valley resident and a Ninilchik resident are dead following a Friday morning plane crash near Tustumena Lake.

A dispatch from Alaska State Troopers on Friday says that a team from the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center had gone to the scene where a single-engine Champion 7GCBC plane had crashed near the lake. Troopers were notified around 11:30 a.m.

Pilot and passenger Danny Presley, 70 of Happy Valley, and Keith Presley, 58 of Ninilchik, were found dead.

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Keith was the owner and operator of Chinook Auto, per his Facebook page, and once coached the Ninilchik Wolverines to a basketball state championship in 2010.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

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