Daniel Pettit

ORR- A Portage Township man accused of firing at and damaging a firefighting aircraft as it battled a wildfire near Buyck in May now faces federal charges in the case.
A federal grand jury indicted Daniel Christian Pettit, 48, on one count of damaging an aircraft and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota.
The indictment was filed Aug. 26 and remained under seal until Monday. Pettit made his initial appearance in federal court that day.
Federal prosecutors allege Pettit knowingly and willfully damaged and disabled the aircraft with a firearm on May 15 while it was within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.
The federal announcement contained few details about the incident, but the criminal complaint filed with the original state charges describes the flight, the damage discovered afterward, and the investigation that led deputies to Pettit.
According to the state complaint, pilot Jorden Grieff was dispatched at 4:48 p.m. on May 15 to assist with a wildland fire near Buyck. Grieff and another aircraft repeatedly scooped water from Kjostad Lake before returning east to drop it on the fire.
The aircraft made approximately 37 circuits during the operation. At about 7:55 p.m., during the 35th pass, Grieff heard what he described as a pop or percussion sound while flying between the Orr-Buyck Road and Kjostad Lake.
Grieff told investigators the aircraft was traveling approximately 130 mph and was between 500 and 700 feet above the ground. He initially thought the sound might have been caused by a bird strike or by flying through the wake of the lead aircraft.
A check of the aircraft’s instruments and controls revealed no apparent problems, and Grieff completed the remaining water drops before returning to Range Regional Airport in Hibbing.
After landing, Grieff and the crew chief found entry-and-exit damage to the rudder. An investigator examining the aircraft the next morning also found damage near a trim tab and concluded the damage was consistent with one or more projectiles, rather than a bird strike or another natural object. A preflight inspection had found no defects.
Several nearby residents reported hearing repeated bangs while the aircraft circled the lake.
A deputy identified Pettit as a possible suspect partly because of a 2024 contact in which Pettit reportedly appeared annoyed by floatplanes flying over a home.
Law enforcement officers went to Pettit’s residence on Orr-Buyck Road. After a deputy made several announcements over a public-address system, Pettit came outside and was taken into custody.
After being advised of his rights, Pettit told investigators at the Hibbing jail that he knew why they were interested in him because he had seen a news report that he might have struck an aircraft while hunting crows.
According to the complaint, Pettit said he had used a 12-gauge shotgun with buckshot that evening. He also said he had two .308-caliber rifles, sometimes hunted crows with a .308, and might have used a rifle that evening.
The complaint states that Pettit said he probably fired more than five times that evening, but maintained that he did not fire when he could see the planes. He claimed the aircraft came within 40 feet of his roof and said he believed they were violating federal altitude restrictions.
“If I accidentally hit him crow hunting, too bad,” Pettit told investigators, according to the complaint. “He endangered my life. I decided to go outside and crow hunt. Did I aim and try and shoot the plane? Nope, no I didn’t.”
Pettit was charged in state court on May 20 with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and intentionally discharging a firearm under circumstances that endangered another person. The assault charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, a $14,000 fine, or both. The intentional-discharge charge carries a maximum of five years, a $10,000 fine, or both.
The state case remains pending. Pettit’s omnibus hearing originally was scheduled for Sept. 8, but defense attorney Chris Stocke requested a continuance while awaiting the results of an assessment Pettit completed with the Department of Veterans Affairs on Aug. 20.
Stocke wrote that the results would likely have a significant effect on how the state case proceeds and that the defense would most likely seek an eligibility determination under a Minnesota law allowing deferred prosecution for qualifying military veterans.
The court subsequently rescheduled the omnibus hearing for Nov. 23.