AI-generated graphic. Not actual flight image.
By THE ALASKA STORY
Sept. 16, 2026 – A Chugiak-based air taxi owner and his passenger were killed Tuesday when their small plane crashed shortly after taking off from a remote moose camp in Western Alaska.
The Alaska State Troopers identified the pilot as 34-year-old Nicholas Peters of Eagle River and the passenger as 50-year-old John “Jack” Ervin of Missouri. Their next of kin have been notified.
Peters owned and operated Nick’s Air Service, an air taxi company based at Birchwood Airport in Chugiak, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Troopers received a report of the crash at 12:21 pm Sept. 15. The Cessna 185 Skywagon went down after departing a moose camp near Aniak, the Department of Public Safety reported.
Federal aviation officials placed the crash approximately 30 miles southeast of Aniak, near the Stoney River. The aircraft came down in a forested area, according to the FAA’s aviation-incident database.
Poor weather prevented troopers from immediately flying to the crash site. The National Transportation Safety Board was notified and announced that it was investigating the fatal crash. Investigators hoped a break in the weather would allow them to reach the wreckage later in the day.
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
The Cessna 185 is one of the most commonly used single-engine aircrafts used in Bush Alaska.
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