Plane crash into building in Alaska ‘was pilot suicide’, say his family

A man who died when his light aircraft crashed into a building committed suicide, according to his family. Doug Demarest clipped an office block that houses the law firm where his wife works and then slammed into an unoccupied commercial building in central Anchorage, Alaska. The FBI said he was not authorised to fly the Civil Air Patrol-owned Cessna 172 which is used in search-and-rescue missions.

There is no indication this was a terrorist act.

FBI statement

Family spokeswoman Jahna Lindemuth said there was no reason to think Mr Demarest was trying to harm anyone but himself. Ms Lindemuth declined to say how the family knew it was a suicide and asked that the family’s privacy be respected. The early morning crash on Tuesday happened before most businesses opened, in an area surrounded by offices, hotels and restaurants. The Civil Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary of the US Air Force, is made up of volunteers who help with search and rescue, disaster relief and homeland security across America.

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