Pilot groups are rallying behind a Minnesota pilot whose airplane is caught in the middle of a spat between an Indian tribe and the Air Force. The pilot’s aircraft had engine trouble a couple of weeks ago, and he managed to set it down safely on a highway in the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Tribal authorities immediately seized the plane and are holding it, alleging the pilot violated a recently enacted law by the tribal council banning aircraft from operating below 20,000 feet over its lands. The Minnesota Pilots Association, AOPA, and several state and federal legislators have joined the effort to get his plane back. The tribal council is scheduled to vote on what to do with the plane on Nov. 4.
The new law was enacted in response to plans by the Air Force to conduct “low altitude, high speed training flights” in a corridor through the reservation. The tribe says the flights will disrupt wildlife on which members of its nation depend for food and cultural purposes. The tribe is claiming jurisdiction over the airspace above its territory, which the president of the Minnesota Pilots Association says flies in the face of federal law. “Federal Law, as expressed in USC 40103, preempts any potential local law on airspace use,” Association President Randy Corfman said in a letter to members. “We will continue to provide updates on the developments, as this matter impacts many flights, not only in Minnesota, but also across our Great Country.” The law enacted by the tribal council is copied below.
The fact that the pilot had an emergency should trump any other laws…..one would think.
For getting it on the ground while keeping hazards to life minimal, it does.
Once it’s on the ground, that gets spicy.
I strongly doubt that this will fly anyway, so to speak.
Speaking of Trump, he had the guts to invade the tribal land and rescue the airplane.
Oops! Autofill changed the wording. “Has”not “had”.
Yes, you can land, live through it and not have your plane.
Yes, I can and have built, maintained, moved, liaised low level MTRs at 3 bases in my career. We ask, play nice, move around problems, make do, but are coming through.
The two have zero to do with each other, so the Indians are wrong. Boycott time. Within a month, unless they are well resourced, they plane should be returned, waxed and with a bow and they can wave at the occasional fly by.
The Indians are wrong. The FAA has exclusive responsibility for all U.S. airspace and supersedes any so-called legal instruments to the contrary. This was amply demonstrated when the FAA took control of low level drone activity in Part 107 from the ground up.
Even worse, they are heartless. The pilot had an emergency and no place else to land. He had that right under 91.3. They should be glad he landed safely, return his aircraft to which they have no right and be grateful that neither people nor property were harmed, and send him on his way. A feather for his cap would be a nice gesture.
What type of lane was it?
Oops. I meant to say what type of plane was it.
Hasn’t been released, but I’m sure the pilot community of northern Minnesota knows.
Maybe the tribe hasn’t gotten the message … irregardless of the rights and wrongs of days of old, this is 2025!
I can understand being opposed to a barn burner route for the reasons the tribe state. Other aircraft can be requested to remain above a certain altitude over the area. Emergency aircraft obviously can do whatever is necessary.
How sovereign is a sovereign Native American Tribe?
El Presidente will send an aircraft carrier or whatever the hell is needed to solve this issue and get the hostage plane back to its owner.
Sign of the times, unfortunately. Shows a strange lack of the ability to discriminate and appreciate risk and challenge.
Evidently the wisdom from elders is no longer available. What a disappointing story.