Local
NTSB details final radio contact before fatal Sauk County plane crash
The pilot of a Piper PA-46 reported icing and requested a descent before the aircraft entered an increasingly steep turn and lost contact, federal investigators said. Six people died in the crash near Dellona; the cause remains undetermined.
Federal investigators say a pilot reported icing while flying at 24,000 feet near Dellwood on Tuesday night, then requested permission to descend shortly before a plane crashed in Sauk County, killing all six people aboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary account, released Wednesday, says air traffic control approved the descent. The Piper PA-46 then made a right turn while descending, and the turn’s rate increased until air traffic controllers lost communication and tracking data.
Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said five adults and one child died in the crash in the Town of Dellona. The plane was returning from Kenosha to Menomonie, according to sheriff’s deputies. The victims’ names and ages had not been released as of Wednesday.
NTSB investigators were expected at the crash site Wednesday afternoon. The agency plans to document the scene and examine the aircraft before it is taken to a facility for further investigation. Investigators will also review flight-tracking data, air traffic control recordings, maintenance records and information about the pilot, and seek accounts from witnesses.
The NTSB cautioned that it will not determine the crash’s cause during its on-scene work. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days; a final report could take 12 to 24 months.
The Federal Aviation Administration says ice forming in flight can disrupt airflow over a wing, increase drag and affect how an aircraft handles. Icing can also cause a plane to stall at higher speeds than usual. Investigators have not said whether icing contributed to the crash.
People who witnessed the crash or have video were asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.