A stinking mystery, where feces of an unknown origin rained down from the sky on a constituent's car, has U.S. Rep. Angie Craig seeking answers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Carisa Browne was waiting May 12 at a Caribou Coffee drive-thru in Burnsville with her 6-year-old son when she noticed gobs of brown, smelly liquid pelt her Honda Prelude.
"It was like the weight of heavy raindrops, but all at the same time, and my car was covered in brown," Browne said. "I was like, 'Oh my god, what just happened?'"
It didn't stop her from getting her coffee, but the Caribou employee noticed the bad smell, she said. Browne then took the car to the car wash. It didn't completely get rid of the rancid material, so she used paper towels to wipe off the rest.
Browne initially thought it was bird poop from a large flock, but after opening the window she realized the awful smell was more similar to human waste. She said she believes it fell from a passing airplane.
While Browne and her son were initially amused and tried to make the best of a putrid situation, she has been calling airlines and the FAA, trying to make sure it doesn't happen to someone unprotected by a car.
"If my kid got hit with this, I wouldn't be giggling it off," she said. "I have to feel like this is a rare thing that happens, but also I'm going to push to figure out what really happened and get some things moving."
After seeing the initial story reported by WCCO-TV, Craig sent a letter to the FAA demanding to know what happened, who is responsible and what is being done to stop leakage from planes.
"Considering the flight paths in the area, we have reason to suspect that it could have come from an aircraft midflight," Craig said in the letter directed to Billy Nolen, acting administrator of the FAA. "We know that waste contains potential enteric pathogens and can present risks to the environment and human health if not handled properly."
Craig asked Nolen six questions, including what measures are being put in place to prevent leakage of fecal matter midflight and how many leaks have occurred since Browne's incident.
The FAA media line did not return an email request for comment Thursday.
Since taking office, constituents have alerted Craig to a variety of concerns regarding the effects of planes and airports on local communities, she said in a news release.
"I believe that this most recent report of flying fecal matter in Burnsville, Minnesota is indicative of a larger issue," she said.
