Pilot Who Crashed In Downtown Anchorage Had Death Wish, Family Says

The pilot who died after his plane clipped the building where his wife works and then crashed in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, was committing suicide, a family spokeswoman said Friday.

But there is no evidence to suggest that Doug Demarest was trying to harm his wife, Katherine, or anyone else, Jahna Lindemuth told the Associated Press.

Lindemuth is a managing partner at the Dorsey & Whitney law firm where the widow works. She could not be reached immediately for additional comment, and several investigating federal agencies gave no immediate confirmation of Lindemuth's assertion, NBC News reported.

Demarest, 42, of Anchorage, was not authorized to use the Cessna 172 he wound up slamming into an unoccupied commercial building, authorities have said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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