Two dead in plane crash north of Duluth
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Updated: 2:25 p.m.
Two people died in the crash of a small plane north of Duluth on Wednesday morning.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report just after 8 a.m. that an aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter distress signal had been activated, and another plane in the area saw possible wreckage on the ground.
Deputies found the crash site in a wooded area west of Pequaywan Lake Road, about 20 miles north of Duluth.
The pilot — identified as Bryan Paul Handyside, 60, of rural Duluth — and a passenger, Matthew William Joseph, 64, of Duluth, were found dead at the crash scene.
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The sheriff’s office said the plane was a 1946 Aeronca Champ, which can seat up to two people.
“At this time the cause of the crash is unknown. It is believed the aircraft recently completed an annual inspection and was on a ‘return to service’ flight,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “The aircraft is believed to have taken off from the Duluth International Airport earlier in the morning.”
Authorities said Handyside and Joseph were coworkers at Cirrus Aircraft, though the plane they were in was privately owned. Handyside reportedly had more than 30 years’ experience as a pilot.
The sheriff’s office said the National Transportation Safety Board was responding to the scene to conduct an investigation.