Agency issues report on Hermantown plane crash that killed 3

A preliminary report released this week from the National Transportation Safety Board reveals the 32-year-old pilot who crashed into a Hermantown home on Oct. 1 climbed to about 2,800 feet before descending and losing contact with the control tower.

The report offers insight into the flight and aftermath but no theories as to why the single-engine Cessna crashed, killing pilot Tyler Fretland of Burnsville and siblings Alyssa Schmidt, 32, of St. Paul and Matthew Schmidt, 31, of Burnsville.

According to the report, the plane departed from South St. Paul Municipal Airport about 10 a.m. that day. Fretland and the Schmidts went to Duluth for a wedding and reception and returned to the airport about 12 hours later to head back.

Fretland requested clearance from the air traffic controller and was cleared for a climb to 6,000 feet. The report said he was issued a departure frequency and beacon code and read it back incorrectly but was not corrected by the air traffic controller.

Preliminary data show the plane left the Duluth runway at 11:12 p.m., turned south and entered a "tight teardrop" to the left as it climbed to about 2,800 feet before beginning a descent.

The controller attempted to contact the pilot on the departure frequency with no response, so he transmitted on the tower frequency. The pilot responded, "Contacting departure two tango alpha," but the plane continued to descend in a left turn with increasing speed, the report said. The controller asked the pilot to confirm he was climbing but got no response.

The airplane hit the front of a two-story house on Arrowhead Road about 11:17 p.m. It passed through two upstairs bedrooms and struck terrain before coming to rest inverted between a vehicle and detached garage.

Homeowners Jason and Crystal Hoffman escaped with only minor injuries. There was no fire, the report said.

All major components of the aircraft were found in the area and retained for examination. The report said the engine's spark plugs and other components were examined and showed no apparent abnormalities.

The report said it may contain errors and that information could change before the final report is released, likely in a year.

Fretland held a commercial pilot's license that was issued in July 2021, and he was certified in 2022 as a single-engine flight instructor, according to the FAA. He had worked in the aviation industry since 2013, most recently as an airline support mechanic for Delta Air Lines, according to his LinkedIn profile.