Plane was in air for less than 8 minutes before crash into historic Hermantown house, killing 3
Oct 04, 2022 09:33AM ● By Content Editor
By Reg Chapman - CBS Minnesota News - October 4, 2022
The FAA and NTSB are trying to determine what happened over Hermantown that led to a plane crash and the death of three people.
According to a flight radar, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk was in the air for less than 8 minutes and climbed to an altitude of 2,200 feet before crashing.
Thirty-two-year-old Alyssa Schmidt, her 31-year-old brother Matt Schmidt, and the pilot, 32-year-old Tyler Fretland, died in the crash.
The small Cessna crashed into the second floor of a house before coming to rest in the backyard.
"They loved to travel. Yes, they loved to travel. If you knew her, you loved her, and if you knew her, you knew her brother Matt. And they were a perfect duo and they kind of traveled in a pack," said Adriana Tabone Bush.
The duo had a host of friends who say both were larger than life.
"They had a very similar personality, but Alyssa was the most selfless person, hence why she got her name Mama Lyss. She wanted to take care of the people that she loved and people she interacted with. She never met a stranger, everyone was her friend," Bush said.
Alyssa was a second grade teacher at Echo Park Elementary School of Leadership, Engineering and Technology.
In a statement, friend Jillian Kotz said Alyssa's love for her family, partner, friends and especially her brother Matt -- who was also one of the nicest people you will ever meet -- was deep and genuine.
Air Trek North Flight School in South St. Paul, where pilot Fretland worked, is closed for the week to honor his memory.
Alyssa and Matt's friends are grieving but know Mama Lyss is looking down, expecting everyone she loved to not stop doing what they love most.
"She will want us to be happy and to live life to the fullest, and one thing she always said was take it minute by minute, and that's what we're trying to do as we're grieving. And what we want to offer to her family is that we're able to give them the opportunity to take it minute by minute," Bush said.
The two people inside the home were not seriously hurt. The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
To read this original story and more news, follow this link to the CBS Minnesota News website.
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