A small plane that crashed in 2023 carrying moose meat in Alaska, killing the husband of former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, was overweight and encountered drag from antlers mounted outside, the NTSB says.

A fatal plane crash in Alaska in 2023 may have been caused by excess moose meat and antlers on board, according to a newly-released report.

A plane that crashed and killed the husband of then-U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, two years ago was overloaded with moose meat and antlers, federal investigators said this week. Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr., 57, was piloting a Piper PA 18-150 Super Cub when it went down in the mountains northeast of St. Mary’s on Sept. 12, 2023.