Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Three killed when small plane crashes into home in northern Minnesota

State representative said he was paying foe the victims

Gino Spocchia
Tuesday 04 October 2022 00:21 BST
Comments
Related video: Four people, including baby, survive helicopter crash

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Authorities in the Minnesota port city of Duluth have named the three people killed when a plane crash landed just south of the international airport at the weekend.

Alyssa Schmidt, 32, Matthew Schmidt, 31, and the pilot Tyler Fretland, 32, were all confirmed to have died in the crash at around midnight on Saturday in Hermantown, as the Duluth News Tribune reported.

They were named on Sunday by the city of Hermantown, where the aircraft they were flying in crashed into a residence about 16 miles south of downtown Duluth and not far from the international airport.

“Both police and fire departments from surrounding agencies responded to the area and located the wreckage of a Cessna 172 airplane in the 5100 block of Arrowhead Road” the city said in a release.

“The airplane hit the second floor of a home before coming to rest in the backyard of the property. The two occupants of the home were not injured.”

An official who spoke with NBC News said the owners of the damaged home were uninjured but “just barely” avoided being killed by the downed Cesssna 172, a single engine four seat plane.

Jason Hoffman told the Tribune that he woke “up to a very loud explosion and my wife screaming” and that “the first thing I thought was that the furnace exploded”.

Police and fire teams responded to the crash on Saturday night
Police and fire teams responded to the crash on Saturday night (NBC News)

He added: “I’m still not sure what to think. It doesn’t seem real at all. We’re just lucky. The loss of life is heartbreaking. At the same time we’re grateful for making it through this.”

The victims were a brother and sister who were riding in the plane with a pilot. All three people were from Burnsville, a city just south of Minneapolis, the city of Hermantown said.

Congressman Pete Stauber, who represents the states 8th District, tweeted on Sunday that he was praying for the victim’s families and thanked emergency responders.

“I’m praying for the three victims & their families who tragically lost their lives in a plane crash in Hermantown. Thankfully, the homeowners were not injured. Thanks to the Hermantown Police & Fire Departments and surrounding volunteer firefighters for their quick response.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are responsible for the investigation into the crash.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in