Grandmother, two daughters and grandson among six killed in Wisconsin plane crash after pilot warned of ice on wings
Ronald Riek, the first identified victim of the Wisconsin Dells crash, was the experienced pilot who radioed that ice was accumulating on his wings before the plane went down, killing all six on board.A Piper PA-46 Meridian like the aircraft Ronald Riek was piloting when it plunged into woodland near Mirror Lake State Park at 4,000 feet per minute, reaching 340mph.
Mary Brion, 67, her daughters Kayla Turpin, 39, and Amanda Haremza, 45, and 13-year-old grandson Rylan Haremza were flying home after surprising her granddaughters at a high school volleyball game when the plane plunged into woods near Wisconsin Dells. Pilot Ron Riek, 63, a veteran aviator and Woodville businessman, had reported ice building up on his Piper PA-46's wings at 24,000 feet and requested to descend before contact was lost. The NTSB and FAA have launched an investigation, with a preliminary report expected within 30 days.
Radar data showed the aircraft entering a steep, spiralling right descent, its rate of fall peaking at 4,000 feet per minute and its speed surging from around 175 mph to 340 mph before the signal vanished.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the crash 'has all the earmarks of an icing-related loss of control.'
David Brion, the grandmother's husband, said of the trip: 'We never had much money, she just wanted to find her joy — this trip they were really excited about.'
