Plane crash claims life of Palmer man

PALMER — A plane crash near Trunk Road Sunday killed a Palmer pilot and wounded his passenger.

Alaska State Troopers responded to the call at a private airstrip near the end of Marcell Loop, off Trunk Road between the Parks and Palmer-Wasilla highways, at 4:45 p.m. Sunday.

Investigators determined Robert Gilmore, 55, of Palmer had been attempting to land a yellow Piper Super Cub at the strip when a gust of wind caught his plane and he crashed into the trees.

The airstrip Gilmore was using sits behind a quiet residential subdivision off Trunk Road just south of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. Nothing was visible from Marcell Loop on Monday.

Jim LaBelle, regional director with the National Transportation Safety Board in Anchorage, said his agency is investigating the incident and has not determined what caused the crash.

“We don’t discuss the cause of the crash until the probable cause has been issued by the safety board,” LaBelle said, adding that such a report usually takes about six months to generate.

He said investigators had not, to his knowledge, discovered any mechanical difficulties that could have led to the crash. As initially reported, wind appeared to be a factor, but usually in such investigations weather is not listed as a cause per se.

“It’s what the pilot did or didn’t do to compensate for that weather,” LaBelle said.

LaBelle said it is his understanding that Gilmore and his passenger had gone for a quick local sightseeing flight and were coming in for a landing when the accident happened.

A search of records for the plane’s registration number shows Gilmore was the plane’s registered owner. Gilmore is also listed as having a current private pilot’s license, issued in 1987.

The passenger, Deborah Molsberry, 24, of Bellingham, Wash., sustained minor injuries and was taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, troopers report.

“When they called 911, she was already out of the plane and walking around,” Brodigan said.

Gilmore was declared dead on scene, according to troopers. LaBelle said his agency’s investigation is ongoing.

 Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.