Teacher from St. Paul who taught school in Burnsville, among three who died in plane crash near Duluth

Frederick Melo, Pioneer Press
·3 min read

Alyssa Schmidt, 32, of St. Paul, taught grade school for eight years, most recently second grade at the Echo Park Elementary School of Leadership, Engineering and Technology in Burnsville. Her brother Matthew Schmidt, a retail store manager in Burnsville, was just a year younger.

On Saturday, sometime shortly before midnight, the pair boarded a four-seat Cessna airplane at Duluth International Airport for a ride piloted by Tyler Fretland, 32, also of Burnsville. The small plane flew less than two miles south before it disappeared from airport radar, prompting a concerned call from the control tower to the Hermantown Police Department.

By then, the worst had happened. Hermantown authorities learned the Cessna 172 had crashed through the second floor of a house on Arrowhead Road before coming to land in its backyard. The homeowners were unhurt, but all three aboard the plane died.

“It was only in the air for minutes,” said Joe Wicklund, a spokesman for the city of Hermantown, which borders Duluth to its west, and the Hermantown Police Department.

INVESTIGATORS ON SCENE

Wicklund said investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board had been at the scene scouring the wreckage to learn more about the cause of the crash. The largest portion of the airplane was removed Monday.

“They’ve been on site all day today and will continue until they’ve got what they need,” said Wicklund, on Monday afternoon.

Matthew Schmidt graduated from Winona State University with an undergraduate degree in business administration, according to his online resume at LinkedIn.com. After holding sales and retail positions at Menards and Mills Fleet Farm, he spent at least seven years at Walgreens, where he was most recently an assistant manager overseeing some 10 to 15 employees.

Fretland, a licensed commercial pilot, held an undergraduate degree in sociology from North Dakota State University. He had worked for Delta Airlines for eight years as an airport support mechanic, baggage handler and member of the airplane towing crew.

‘AN ABSOLUTE HEART OF GOLD’

Tony Taschner, a spokesman for Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District 196, where Alyssa Schmidt worked, said in a statement that she had been with the district since October 2014. She spent several years as a kindergarten teacher before moving on to third grade in 2020. She was teaching second grade this year.

“We are deeply saddened over the tragic loss of three lives, including an incredibly talented young teacher who positively impacted students every day,” said Taschner, in the statement. “District 196 and the Echo Park school community are focused on supporting staff, students and families through this sudden and difficult loss. Principal Logan Schultz said Alyssa led and taught with love, care and selflessness.”

On Facebook, childhood friend Danielle Fraser — a pediatric nurse in Montana — recalled Alyssa Schmidt as as having “an absolute heart of gold” and welcoming her peers with “the biggest smile and open arms.”

“In connecting with old friends today, those who have known her for decades and those who met her through teaching, it is clear that Alyssa continued to be a beacon of positivity,” Fraser wrote.

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