WASHINGTON (KFGO) - The National Transportation Safety Board says a pilot who died in an airplane crash south of Fargo on Dec. 1st reported an onboard fire shortly before the plane went down.
The twin-engine Cessna 340 was owned by Weather Modification of Fargo, a cloud seeding company. Hans Ahlness was returning to Fargo from Carrington, where he was taking air samples for the National Weather Service.
The crash happened about ten miles south of Fargo, along the banks of the Wild Rice River.
The preliminary report says the plane was at 1,700 feet when it lost altitude rapidly. The cause of the onboard fire will be investigated.