Wasilla police identify pilot killed in crash near airport

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Wasilla police have released the name of the pilot killed last week in an airplane crash at the city airport.

Police say the man killed Thursday afternoon was 61-year-old John Hutchison of Big Lake.

Anchorage television station KTVA reports Hutchison was the only person on board the experimental aircraft.

Wasilla police officers spotted the airplane experiencing apparent mechanical issues.

They say Hutchison was attempting to return to the airport when he crashed.

Clint Johnson of the National Transportation Safety Board says the airplane took off at a steep angle and the left wing dropped before the plane crashed nose first onto a road.

The cause of the crash has not been determined.
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Information from: KTVA-TV, http://www.ktva.com