A Soldotna man passed away in a tragic plane crash in Kodiak over the weekend. He was identified from the Kenai Municipal Airport Facebook page as Derek Leichliter, who was a member of the Airport Commission, an airport lessee, and an airport electrical contractor.
Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska Division reported to the Anchorage Daily News that Leichliter was the only person aboard the Wag-Aero 2+2 aircraft when it crashed after taking off from the Kodiak Municipal Airport. Johnson states that it was an amateur-built kit airplane.
The plane flew from Kodiak Municipal Airport and crashed less than a mile away near East Elementary School, according to Kodiak Police Lt. Francis de la Fuenta, who told the Associated Press that several people observed the crash.
According to his Instagram profile, Leichliter was the owner/operator of Legacy Electric and Peninsula Hangar Association. He also was a board member of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association.
An investigation is ongoing to determine what caused the crash.
