5 adults, 1 child killed in Sauk County plane crash
SAUK COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) — Six people are dead after a plane crash in Sauk County on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The sheriff's office says the plane went down around 9:30 p.m. in a densely wooded area near Park Lane in the Town of Dellona.
Authorities say all six people on board, five adults and one child, died in the crash. The plane was returning to Menomonie from Kenosha.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a preliminary investigation indicates the plane was flying at 24,000 feet when the pilot reported icing and requested permission to descend. The safety board says the descent was approved, and the aircraft "entered a right descending turn that increased in rate until communications and data tracking were lost."
Randi Kubek, who lives nearby, heard the plane and thought it was going to hit her house.
“It started at a distance, and then it started to get so close. It was like this loud roar, and you could hear the plane's engine,” Kubek said.
Robert Katz, a commercial pilot and flight instructor with 45 years of experience, spoke with CBS 58 and said he believes weather played a major role in the crash.
“My first impression is this was either weather-related or mechanical-related, with a greater emphasis on weather,” Katz said. “I believe this airplane either flew into a thunderstorm or was overtaken by icing.”
According to flight logs from FlightAware that Katz shared with CBS 58, the plane began a rapid descent around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at a highly accelerated speed. Katz said the plane was so out of control that residents were lucky it did not hit any nearby homes.
“The experience on board would have been absolutely horrific for everyone,” Katz said.
He added that the plane is worth $3 million to $4 million and is equipped to withstand the type of weather it encountered Tuesday night.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NTSB are leading an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Witnesses or anyone with surveillance footage or other relevant information are asked to contact the NTSB at [email protected].