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”.
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.
