The Midwest Flyer is reporting that the Red Lake Nation will release Darrin Smedsmo’s aircraft at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, and the tribe will drop all charges against the Minnesota pilot.
This comes after the FAA got involved, threatening civil enforcement action against the tribe through the U.S. Department of Justice if it does not cease legal proceedings against the pilot and release the aircraft.
Back in October 2025, Smedsmo was flying from Roseau, Minnesota, to Bemidji, Minnesota, when his Stinson 108 had a catastrophic failure. He made an emergency landing on the tribe’s lands and they immediately seized his airplane, saying he violated a 1978 resolution that states the tribe has authority over the airspace up to 20,000 feet and bans overflights of “any airplanes.”
According to the Midwest Flyer report, the tribe is preparing to rescind that 1978 resolution.
“Tribal leadership and its legal department now realize they were wrong in taking possession of the aircraft in the first place,” the report noted. “Once the aircraft is back flying, Smedsmo plans to return to the Red Lake Indian Reservation and give rides to native American children.”
Read our original story here.
Before pilots talk about what the Ojibwe/Chippewa “did”, remember one thing: They didn’t ask to be put on that reservation. Think about that before making judgments, and think about what their sovereignty means before bragging about what lawsuits you’d start.
There was a Tribal Resolution passed in 1978 about military flying over the Reservation. There was also a weapons range near Big Bog that caused all sorts of issues with hunting and fishing, breaking windows in homes on the Reservation from the 1940s on into the late 50s, and low-flying aircraft over the Reservation was very disruptive.
Before yelling, “Yee-ha!” and getting your cowboy on, realise that there was/is more to the story than the Red Herring headline, “Tribe Steals Plane”. It’s Tribal land; they own it, they make the laws and on that land they are responsible to their own laws. For those saying what they would have done, think again. Pushing the legal route by a wannabe prosecutor would have been a very sophisticated and expensive case, and whilst it was being hashed out, the plane stays where it is.
There have been a lot of good legal things to come out of the case, but resist the temptation to reduce it to “they stole his plane”. It’s not accurate, it is only an arrogant assertion by the ignorant. .
Despite their (arguably well-founded) historical grievances, the fact remains that they had zero legal standing to close the airspace over the reservation. The last thing our aviation system needs is to establish a precedent of every sub-federal government entity setting its own airspace rules, especially ones that aren’t depicted in any publication. What’s to stop the Cherokees or Choctaws from shutting down the airspace over half of Oklahoma?
That said, kudos to Darrin for his gracious response. That’s going to be a lot more constructive than hitting back with more litigation.
Picture of a thesaurus? You guys are really reaching now.
I’m happy to hear this! It is a great precedent. I hope this plane flies again soon!
Turning the other cheek, and perhaps the tribe that slapped him learns a little bit about helping thy neighbor.
Good for him for planning on giving the children of the tribe airplane rides.
Perhaps the tribal elders could learn from his act of kind forgiveness. .
Had the govt not gotten involved, I wonder if they would have suddenly become so understanding.
Isn’t a Taylorcraft, it is a Stinson.
You are right. The headline has been changed.
Check again Chip, look closely at the fuselage it says Voyager 150. That would be a Stinson.
Now, that’s a gracious attitude. I would have returned with a lawsuit and a serious case of vengeance. He’s certainly setting a high standard. My hat’s off to you, Darrin.
He’s a lot more forgiving than I am.
Whether it was a suggestion from the tribal members or Darrin, it appears to be a win-win. I hope that the story continues and we are updated on the experience of the child-passengers and Darrin’s nascent relationship with the Red Lake tribe.
He should name his airplane “NASCENT.” Maybe put some nose art on it, like a big picture of a thesaurus.