Overview
- An amphibious firefighting plane scooped water over Kjostad Lake on May 15 when the pilot heard a loud 'pop' on a low pass and later found oval-shaped holes in the rudder and trim tab.
- Inspectors and the pilot concluded the holes and surrounding splatter were inconsistent with a bird strike and matched damage caused by a bullet.
- Multiple neighbors reported hearing gunfire along Kjostad Lake between about 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. as planes circled, and deputies recalled prior complaints from a nearby resident.
- Authorities arrested Daniel Christian Pettit, 48, booked him into the Hibbing jail and charged him with second-degree assault and intentional discharge of a firearm.
- Pettit gave a Mirandized statement saying he was crow hunting and denied aiming at the plane, and federal aviation officials and the FBI are assisting an ongoing probe into risks to low-altitude firefighting flights.