Alaska State Troopers reported that two individuals perished on Friday, in a Kenai Peninsula plane crash. The casualties were 58-year-old Keith Presley of Ninilchik, the lone passenger, and 70-year-old Danny Presley of Happy Valley, the pilot. Both men were found dead following the single-engine Champion 7GCBC aircraft accident close to Tustumena Lake. At about 11:30 a.m., Alaska Troopers got the alert following the deployment of a team by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center to the crash scene.
The chief of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Alaska, Clint Johnson, stated the jet crashed over 20 miles east of Ninilchik, close to the southern border of Tustumena Lake. He said the accident location is in a region with undulating hills and few trees, which would have affected the plane’s fall.
Observing the fallen aircraft, a pilot reported it to the authorities. Men’s bodies were retrieved and sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office. Since then, their relatives have been told of the terrible event.
The NTSB started an inquiry to find the cause of the Kenai Peninsula plane crash. Though officials have recorded the scene and retrieved the debris, much about the flight’s origin, destination, and intent remains unknown. The terrain’s remote location and challenging landscape may also complicate recovery efforts. According to Johnson, the continuous inquiry will include further wreckage recovery activities.
This news story was originally published by Anchorage Daily News.
