Six killed in Wisconsin plane crash after pilot reports ice buildup on wings
Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms were reported across southern Wisconsin on Tuesday evening.
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THE TAKEAWAY
- Six people, including a 13-year-old child, were killed in a Wisconsin plane crash.
- The pilot reported ice buildup on the wings before the aircraft rapidly descended and crashed near Dellona.
- The official cause of the crash remains under investigation.
DELLONA, Wisconsin – A small plane carrying five adults and one child crashed Tuesday night in Wisconsin shortly after the pilot reported ice buildup on the aircraft’s wings.
FOX News Digital reported that the aircraft began descending at a rate of up to 4,000 feet per minute while returning from Kenosha to Menomonie after the pilot reported ice buildup on the wings.
The NTSB said the pilot alerted air traffic control to the icing and requested a lower altitude before radio communications and flight-tracking data were lost.
FILE PHOTO: Piper PA-46-310P Malibu on final-approach. (aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
A former NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigator said the accident had the characteristics of an icing-related loss of control, FOX News Digital reported.
According to the National Weather Service, scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms were forecast across southern Wisconsin on Tuesday evening.
Ice accumulation on an aircraft can disrupt airflow over the wings, reducing lift while increasing drag and adding weight, making the plane more difficult to control.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said ice can accumulate when supercooled water droplets in clouds or precipitation freeze upon contact with an aircraft’s wings and other exposed surfaces.
FILE PHOTO: The Federal Aviation Administration says ice can accumulate when supercooled water droplets in clouds or precipitation freeze upon contact with an aircraft’s wings and other exposed surfaces. (JUAN MABROMATA / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. in the town of Dellona, Wisconsin, in Sauk County, after dispatchers received multiple reports of a Piper PA-46 Malibu crashing near Park Lane, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said.
All six occupants were found dead at the scene, including a 13-year-old child.
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The official cause of the crash remains under investigation.