VIDEO: The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) released its final report Tuesday on the June 2023 plane crash that resulted in the death of Jim Tweto and his passenger, Shane Reynolds of Idaho, near Shaktoolik. “I’m actually kind of relieved because we’ve been waiting for 25 months, so it’s going to be nice having it over and done with because it’s been stressful waiting,” Ferno Tweto, Tweto’s widow, said. “Luckily there were no surprises and on we go.” Tweto’s daughter, Ariel, also shared a similar feeling on Tuesday. “I’m relieved as well. I let the strong one in the family read it. I haven’t read it, and I don’t really plan on to,” Ariel said.
“Its not going to change anything. And we know that he was such a good pilot and all of that. I really don’t need; I really don’t want to read it.”The report determined the June 16, 2023, crash was an accident caused by the plane’s encounter with “gusting tailwind conditions during takeoff.” “The airplane unfortunately impacted a tree, which disabled the horizontal stabilizer, and from that point, the airplane crashed into the valley below,” Clint Johnson, the NTSB’s Alaska Regional Office Chief, said. “At this point, you can see our probable cause is that in-flight collision with the tree.”Johnson said that no mechanical issues were found in either the power plant or airplane during the NTSB investigation.
Tweto — 68 at the time of his death — had risen to previous fame on the Discovery Channel reality show “Flying Wild Alaska.” His family said in 2023 that the famed pilot had taught more than 100 people how to fly and inspired countless people to become pilots. Reynolds was the owner and operator of Northwest Fishing Expeditions. “He served just so much of Western Alaska. A lot of people didn’t realize how much he did until recently,” Ariel said. The information brought investigators to the conclusion that the plane encountered gusting tailwind conditions during takeoff, resulting in the plane veering left, hitting a tree, and crashing into the ground.
