Due to worsening weather conditions, efforts have failed to retrieve the remains of 41-year-old Michael Zobel, an ex-Alaska State Trooper who died when his Cessna 170B went down for unknown reasons near Eureka south of Glennallen.

A LifeMed helicopter was deployed to the crash site on Thursday night after the crash was reported, but worsening weather caused the helicopter to depart without retrieving Zobel’s remains. LifeMed did confirm that Zobel had died as a result of the Thursday evening crash after he took off to track a wounded moose that had been shot by a hunting party that he was part of. The hunters saw the plane go down and reported the crash to the troopers at 7:54 pm.

Weather conditions throughout Friday continued to frustrate efforts to get back to the crash site and bring Zobel’s body out.

The weather also kept the National Transportation Safety Board investigator from the scene. They will make another attempt at getting to the site on Saturday morning, until then, it is unknown whether mechanical failure or pilot error contributed to the crash.

Late today the State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage gave permission to the hunting party to travel to the crash site and retrieve Zobel’s remains, they will break camp and go to the site tomorrow.

Zobel’s next of kin have been notified of the incident. He leaves behind a wife and son.