Regulations and Government
Tribal Trial To Solve Confiscated Stinson 108 Situation
After an emergency landing, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians seized the airplane
Stinson 108 emergency landing
Darrin Smedsmo’s 1946 Stinson 108, which he successfully landed on a road inside the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians reservation in Minnesota after the engine seized

On October 15, Darrin Smedsmo was flying from Roseau Municipal Airport (KROX) to Bemidji Regional Airport (KBJI) in Minnesota when the Franklin engine in his 1946 Stinson 108 seized up. He was at 3,500 feet near Lower Red Lake, and the sole option was a road near the lake. The land around the lake is swampy and not suitable for an emergency landing, he told AIN.

What happened after his successful emergency landing took Smedsmo by complete surprise, as well as everyone in the aviation industry who heard about the confiscation of his airplane by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.

Loading…