(AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)An Alaska state lawmaker who was involved in a July midair collision that killed seven people was piloting his plane even though his medical flight certification was denied eight years ago because of vision problems, a federal agency reported Tuesday. The crash occurred around 8:30 a.m. at about 1,175 feet with clear skies up to 8,500 feet, the report stated. The de Havilland, which was equipped with floats to land on water, took off from a nearby lake about the same time as Knopp's plane left the Soldotna Airport. The plane had a valid number that was registered to Knopp, but a different number was on the plane's exterior. Knopp was first elected to the state House in 2016.

The Alaska House Majority says Knopp was killed in the mid-air collision of two planes near Soldotna on Friday, July 31, 2020. Alaska State Troopers would not confirm Knopp's death beyond saying the mid-air collision near the airport in Soldotna was a fatal crash. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)ANCHORAGE, Alaska Seven people, including an Alaska state lawmaker, died Friday when two small airplanes collided in midair near the airport in Soldotna, a small community on Alaskas Kenai Peninsula. Alaska State Troopers said state Rep. Gary Knopp, 67, of Kenai was the sole occupant of one plane. More than a legislator, Gary Knopp was a husband, father, son, brother, grandfather, and friend.