Pilot reported wing icing before Wisconsin plane plunged into woodland killing five adults and a child
A Piper PA-46 pilot warned air traffic control that ice was building up on the wings at 24,000 feet before the aircraft entered a spiralling right descent and crashed into dense woodland near Mirror Lake State Park on Tuesday night. All six aboard — five adults and one child — were found dead at the scene in Dellona, Sauk County. The NTSB confirmed the pilot had requested clearance to descend, which was granted, before radar contact and radio signals were lost. Victims have not yet been identified.
The plane left Kenosha Regional Airport just before 9pm, bound for Menomonie, roughly 360 miles away, and went down near Wisconsin Dells shortly before 10pm during a thunderstorm.
Wing icing is a severe aviation hazard — even a thin layer can disrupt airflow and make it impossible for an aircraft to stay airborne, the NTSB said.
Police scanner audio captured the horror: 'I've got, uh, looks like, definitely an airplane seat of some sort with deceased in the front yard,' an officer was heard saying on arrival.