VIDEO: Investigators believe the pilot in Monday’s deadly plane crash near Homer may have been avoiding a loose dog on the runway in Nanwalek.
The Cessna 207 was carrying three people when it went down Monday afternoon, killing 48-year-old pilot and Homer resident Daniel Bunker and 37-year-old Anchorage resident Jenny Irene Miller. The third person was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital with “serious” injuries, according to state troopers.
Witnesses interviewed about Monday’s deadly plane crash reported a loose dog was spotted on the runway as the Cessna was making its approach from Homer to the Nanwalek airstrip, according to Clint Johnson, Chief of the Alaska regional office of the National Transportation Safety Board.
“What we understand now is that there may have been an animal, namely a dog, that was on the runway,” Johnson said. “The pilot initiated a go-around. There was also another company airplane behind — he was talking to that airplane at the same time — said he was initiating the go-around, made a right turn away from the runway, pretty steep climb, and unfortunately, there was a loss of control.”
