NTSB reveals cause of fatal plane crash that crushed a Duluth-area home

HERMANTOWN, MINN. – The pilot of a single-engine aircraft that crashed into a home in Hermantown in 2022 — which killed the three people on board, but not the homeowners — had indicated before the flight that he was “not confident in his instrument flying skills,” according to the NTSB’s final report.

The plane, flown by Tyler Fretland, 32, of Burnsville left Duluth International Airport en route to South St. Paul late Oct. 1, 2022, after a wedding here. Four minutes later, the plane crashed into power lines and then into the two-story brick house on Arrowhead Road. Jason and Crystal Hoffman, who were asleep at the time of impact, escaped with only a few scratches, but the high school sweethearts’ dream home was destroyed.

It’s likely that Fretland experienced “spatial disorientation” — an aviation term referring to the inability to perceive positioning in the context of Earth, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. There was no evidence of mechanical failure before the crash.

The probable cause: “The pilot’s loss of control of the aircraft due to spatial disorientation during initial climb in the dark night and low instrumentation meteorological conditions, which resulted in a descent into terrain,” the report said. “Contributing to the accident was pilot fatigue due to a long day of flying and personal activities.”

Passengers Alyssa Schmidt, 32, of St. Paul, and Matthew Schmidt, 31, of Burnsville, who were siblings, died in the crash along with Fretland. She was a second grade teacher at Echo Park Elementary School of Leadership, Engineering and Technology in Burnsville. She was remembered as a vibrant, free spirit. Matthew Schmidt was also part of the flying community, according to his obituarystating that he had ‘discovered what made him feel alive’. Fretland was interested in flying since he was a child and dreamed of working for Delta Air Lines. He held a commercial pilot certificate and a flight instructor certificate with 645.9 hours of flying experience.

It was a “night instrument flight rules” trip, which meant the pilot had to rely on the cockpit instruments rather than external visual cues. The clouds hung low to the ground, visibility was limited and it was slightly foggy. The pilot ascended to an altitude where the ground lights would have disappeared, the report said.

The day before the accident, the pilot and a student took a night cross-country flight. Fretland reportedly told the student that he was flying to a wedding the next morning and that he was nervous because he was not confident in his instrument flying skills. He had 7.9 hours of instrument flight experience, 0.3 hours in the past 15 months.

According to the report, the plane briefly reached 2,800 feet before beginning its rapid descent. Fretland had one more moment of contact with air traffic control and then did not respond to further communications. The plane probably hit the Hoffman’s home on a 40-degree left bank.