Was On Night Cross Country When His Aircraft Went Down

A University of North Dakota flight student is improving at a Minnesota hospital after his plane went down on a long, night-time cross country last week. Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened during his flight.

Joshua Oreck of Rogers (MN) was found in a ditch about 50 feet from the wreckage of his Piper Cherokee at around 0500 local, some four-and-a-half hours after the crash. The 26-year old aviation student was on a cross-country flight from Crystal (MN) to Grand Forks (ND) in a PA-28 (file photo of type, above).

It was the first time a UND flight student had been hurt in a mishap since 1983. First listed in serious condition, Oreck's status was upgraded Friday to fair.

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 248ND    Make/Model: PA28   Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER, D
 Date: 07/08/2004   Time: 0728

 Event Type: Accident  Highest Injury: Serious   Mid Air: N  Missing: N
 Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
 City: WAUBUN           State: MN  Country: US

DESCRIPTION
 ACFT CRASHED IN A CORN FIELD AND DRAINING DITCH UNDER UNKNOWN
 CIRCUMSTANCES, ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND THE ACFT WAS
 DESTROYED, 1 1/4 M SE OF WAUBUN, MN

INJURY DATA   Total Fatal:  0
         # Crew:  1  Fat:  0   Ser:  1   Min:  0   Unk: 
         # Pass:   0  Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 
         # Grnd:       Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 

WEATHER: METAR KDTL 080955Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM 11/10 A2997             
                                          
                            

OTHER DATA
 Activity: Training   Phase: Unknown   Operation: General Aviation

 Departed: MINNEAPOLIS, MN       Dep Date: 07/08/2004  Dep. Time: 0505
 Destination: GRAND FORKS, ND     Flt Plan: VFR     Wx Briefing: Y
 Last Radio Cont: UNK
 Last Clearance: UNK

 FAA FSDO: MINNEAPOLIS, MN (GL15)        Entry date: 07/09/2004

FMI: www.aero.und.edu