Grandmother flew to surprise grandchildren at volleyball match before dying in Wisconsin plane crash with two daughters and grandson
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 died Tuesday night when their small plane went down in wooded terrain near Mirror Lake State Park, Wisconsin. Pilot Ron Riek, 63, an experienced local aviator and businessman, had flagged ice building up on the wings at 24,000 feet before the Piper PA-46 entered a spiralling dive, descending at rates reaching 4,000 feet per minute. Mary's widower, David Brion, said the family had chosen to fly because the five-hour road journey to Salem made attending the grandchildren's games all but impossible. All six people on board were killed at the scene.
Aviation expert Jeff Guzzetti says the crash 'has all the earmarks of an icing-related loss of control.'
During its final plunge, the aircraft's airspeed nearly doubled to 340mph before all communications were lost.
Doorbell footage captured the sound of the falling plane — 'a sound you won't get out of your head,' one local resident said.
