“I Just So Badly Wanted to Help”: Woman Witnesses Aftermath of Fatal Plane Crash

Most of the debris from the crash landed on private property.

“It was loud enough where it startled me…and I knew something bad had happened,” said Mara Solberg, who saw the aftermath of the crash.

KVRR has the audio of a second pilot who was in the air when 55-year-old Hans Ahlness’ plane went down near Horace.

Pilot Transmission: There is a lot of debris. There is a fire. It is in the bend. Just to give that aircraft a heads up, there is a tower just north along the interstate.

The plane was found in several pieces next to the Wild Rice River, a half mile east of I-29.

Solberg says she will never forget looking out behind her house to see emergency vehicles.

“I knew that it was something major. In fact I was pretty sure it was a plane that crashed,” she said.

Ahlness was flying for Fargo’s Weather Modification Inc.

He was heading southbound after taking off from Fargo’s Hector International Airport.

Pilot Transmission: 555 is over the plume now. There appears to be a fire over here at the trees right next to a field. Just east about a quarter mile off the interstate.

Back on the ground, Solberg’s dog, Bandit, tipped her off that something was wrong.

“I was looking at him and he was looking at me like it happened,” she said. “Something happened.”

Solberg’s first reaction was to help.

“I just so badly wanted to help them. I just needed to help them and I couldn’t do a thing,” she said sadly. “There was nothing I could do to help. And it was a terrible feeling.”

The cause of the crash has not been released.

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