Six months after Hermantown plane crash, questions remain

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - Six months after a plane crashed into a Hermantown house, questions about the property still remain.

The fatal crash happened in early October on West Arrowhead Road.

Three people on board the plane died, but miraculously, the people who were sleeping inches from where the plane hit were not hurt.

Much of the property still looks quite similar to how it did on the day of the crash.

That’s partially because the house is a historic building.

It was one of 84 built in the Hermantown area around 1936 as a part of the Jackson Project: an effort to provide affordable homes during the Great Depression.

The fact that it’s a privately owned home, and the FAA is still investigating are two other reasons it’s remained in its current state.

After a full winter since the crash and much of the snow disappearing, many people are wondering what comes next.

”So I think there’s a bit of renewed interest now that there’s not feet of snow in front of the house, and people know that something is likely to occur in terms of reconstruction, deconstruction, stuff like that,” Joe Wicklund, the Community Engagement Director of Hermantown, said.

For the two survivors, they’ve had to go elsewhere for the time being with help from their neighbors.

Wicklund also wants the community to understand it is private property and to drive safely as you go past it.

It’s reported that the FAA investigation could take up to a year.

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