Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 15

Wisconsin Plane Plunged 4,000 Feet a Minute After Pilot Reported Icing, Killing 6

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 15

Wisconsin Plane Plunged 4,000 Feet a Minute After Pilot Reported Icing, Killing 6

Q: What critical failure caused a six-passenger plane departing Kenosha to suddenly crash near Wisconsin Dells, leaving no survivors?

The critical failure has not yet been determined. Authorities have confirmed that the six-passenger plane, which reportedly departed from Kenosha Regional Airport, crashed near Wisconsin Dells in the Town of Dellona and that no one aboard survived. Local reporting indicates the victims were five adults and one child. But neither the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office nor federal investigators have identified a specific cause, system failure, or mechanical problem. The sheriff said investigators were still working to determine the circumstances of the crash, and both the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are assisting. At this stage, any claim about an engine failure, structural failure, weather-related issue, or pilot-related problem would be unconfirmed. The official cause will depend on the FAA and NTSB investigation, which typically includes examination of the wreckage, flight path data, maintenance history, weather conditions, and witness accounts.

Q: Who were the five adults and one child aboard the doomed Wisconsin flight, and what was their final destination?

The identities of the five adults and one child aboard the Wisconsin plane had not been publicly released in the reporting available, and authorities also had not officially confirmed the flight’s final destination. What was confirmed is that all six people on board died when the small plane crashed Tuesday night in the Town of Dellona, near Mirror Lake State Park in Sauk County. The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said the victims included five adults and one child, but names, ages and hometowns were still pending official release. As for where the aircraft was headed, local reporting citing FlightAware data indicated the plane appeared to have departed from Kenosha Regional Airport shortly before 9 p.m. However, officials had not formally verified either the origin or destination at the time of those reports. The FAA and NTSB were assisting with the investigation.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 15

Flight data show the Piper PA-46 dropped as fast as 4,000 feet per minute after the pilot reported ice building on the wings and asked to descend from 24,000 feet.
Air traffic control approved the descent, but the plane entered an increasingly sharp right turn; tracking and radio contact were then lost before the crash near Mirror Lake State Park.
FlightRadar24 data showed the aircraft's airspeed nearly doubled to 340 mph during the descent, a pattern an aviation safety expert said bears the hallmarks of an icing-related loss of control.
The six-seat, single-engine plane was flying from Kenosha to Menomonie through rain and a thunderstorm near Dellona, where all five adults and one child aboard were killed.
The NTSB has not determined an official cause, but the Piper Malibu line has faced prior federal scrutiny over icing crashes that prompted training and equipment recommendations.