A Wisconsin plane crash that killed six people near Wisconsin Dells on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, followed a pilot report of icing at 24,000 feet, the National Transportation Safety Board says.
According to the Associated Press, the dead included Mary Brion, 67, of Nelson, her daughters Amanda Haremza, 45, of Altoona and Kayla Turpin, 39, of Eau Claire, and her 13-year-old grandson.
The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office named them on Thursday, 15 October 2026, along with Ronald Riek, 63, of Woodville, and Tyler Harvey, 36, of Cadott.
What the NTSB says about the Wisconsin plane crash
The NTSB released preliminary information on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, as investigators travelled to the site near Mirror Lake State Park.
The board said the Piper PA-46 was flying at 24,000 feet when the pilot reported icing and asked to descend, and it described what happened after air traffic control approved the request:
“Air traffic control approved the descent, and the aircraft entered a right descending turn that increased in rate until communications and data tracking were lost.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says in-flight icing can distort airflow over a wing, increase drag and affect handling, and can cause a stall at higher speeds and lower angles of attack than normal, which may make recovery impossible.
The NTSB has not determined a cause and will not do so during its on-scene work.
When and where the Wisconsin plane crash happened
The aircraft was on a return trip from Kenosha to Menomonie when it came down in a densely wooded area north of Park Lane and west of Herwig Road in the Town of Dellona. Sauk County Dispatch received calls at about 21:31 CDT (04:31 SAST on Wednesday, 14 October 2026), and no buildings were damaged.
Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister confirmed that the aircraft was in contact with air traffic control before it came down. The flight left Kenosha Regional Airport shortly before 21:00 CDT (04:00 SAST), and investigators are working to learn what was said in those transmissions:
“We know that they had contact with the tower prior to the crash,” Meister said.
Who were the victims of the Wisconsin plane crash?
Riek, a licensed pilot and local business owner from Woodville, was identified as the pilot, though the sheriff’s office has not said who was at the controls. Johnson, of the Menomonie Airport Commission, paid tribute to him:
“It’s a terrible loss of a man who was a good citizen, an enthusiastic and highly experienced pilot and a respectable man,” Johnson said.
What happens next
The NTSB will gather flight-track data, air traffic control recordings, maintenance records and information on the pilot, and the aircraft will be taken to a facility for examination. A preliminary report is due within about 30 days, and a final report with a probable cause can take 12 to 24 months. An earlier report on the Louisville UPS plane crash covers another US aviation disaster.
