USAupdated 1h ago3 min read
Piper PA-46 Crash Kills Six Near Wisconsin Dells, Including Child
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Six people died, including a child, in a plane crash near Dellona, Sauk County, Wisconsin. The aircraft was a six-seat Piper PA-46 traveling from Kenosha to Menomonie.
Crash Near Wisconsin Dells
Six people died after a small plane crash Tuesday night near Reedsburg, Wisconsin, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said, with the sheriff's office stating that the Sauk County Dispatch Center received reports of a downed plane just after 9:30 p.m. The Sauk County Sheriff's Office said the five adults and one child were on board a Piper PA-46 flying a return trip from Kenosha, Wisconsin, to Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it said, "all six occupants of the aircraft were located deceased on scene." The National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot reported icing and requested to descend while the plane was flying at 24,000 feet, and air traffic control approved the descent before the aircraft entered a right descending turn that increased in rate until communications and data tracking were lost.
The AP said the crash happened shortly before 10 p.m. in a wooded area near Mirror Lake State Park in the Town of Dellona, not far from Wisconsin Dells, as rain fell while a thunderstorm moved through the area. The AP reported that no structures were damaged and no one on the ground was injured, and the NTSB said it would lead the investigation into the crash.
Icing, Thunderstorm, and Comms
The NTSB said the pilot told an air traffic controller about icing on the wings of the Piper PA-46 as it flew at 24,000 feet and requested permission to descend, and it said air traffic control approved the descent. The Sauk County Sheriff’s Department said it received multiple reports of a downed aircraft around 9:30 p.m., and it said the wreckage was located in a wooded area near Mirror Lake State Park in the Town of Dellona. Fox News reported that the crash site was in the Town of Dellona in Sauk County near Park Lane, and it said first responders discovered the wreckage in a densely wooded area west of Herwig Road.
Fox News quoted Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister saying, "We know that they had contact with the tower prior to the crash," as investigators worked to determine what communications took place. The NTSB said investigators were traveling to the scene and a preliminary report would be available within 30 days, while the FAA and NTSB were investigating the crash with the NTSB leading the investigation.
Investigation and What Comes Next
The NTSB said investigators would look into the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment, and it said the plane crashed at about 9:30 p.m. in a heavily wooded residential area in the hamlet of Dellona. The New York Times reported that Randi Kubek, 60, a retired school principal, heard the "unmistakable sound" of a plane losing altitude and said, "I heard a big boom and I saw light," as her house shook. The Sauk County Sheriff's Office said authorities were not identifying the deceased at this time, and it said there were no reports of damage to structures or injuries to people on the ground.
Channel 3000 said investigators will begin to document the scene and examine the aircraft, and it said the aircraft would be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation, per officials. The NTSB said local authorities would release the victims' ages and identities, and Channel 3000 said residents and witnesses were asked to contact the NTSB [email protected].