Grandmother, daughters and grandson among six killed in Wisconsin plane crash
Six people died when a small plane crashed in Sauk County, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night, the AP reported. They included a grandmother, her two grown daughters and her 13-year-old grandson. Federal safety officials said the pilot had reported ice and asked to fly lower just before the crash.
A grandmother, her two adult daughters and her 13-year-old grandson were among six people killed when a small plane crashed in Wisconsin on Tuesday night, The Associated Press reported. The family was flying home after surprising the grandmother's granddaughters at their high school volleyball game.
The Sauk County Sheriff's Office identified the victims Thursday as Mary Brion, 67, of Nelson; her daughters Amanda Haremza, 45, and Kayla Turpin, 39; her grandson Rylan Haremza, 13; Tyler Harvey, 36, of Cadott; and pilot Ron Riek of Woodville, the AP reported. All lived in Wisconsin.
"My wife just loved to go watch the grandchildren," Brion's husband, David Brion, told the AP. "It wasn't right what happened." He said the trip came about through a pilot friend of one of his sons-in-law.
The Piper PA-46 was flying from Kenosha back to Menomonie, local station WMTV reported. Citing early National Transportation Safety Board information, WMTV said the plane was at 24,000 feet when the pilot reported icing and asked to descend. Air traffic control approved the descent, and the plane entered a right turn that grew steeper until contact and tracking were lost.
Riek owned the plane and a logistics company, and he held an airline transport pilot rating, the AP said. "He was simply a good man. A highly experienced pilot, and this was simply a tragedy," Menomonie Airport Commission chairman Daniel Johnson said at a public meeting Wednesday, according to Minneapolis TV station KSTP, the AP reported. Harvey was a flight instructor, Johnson said.
NTSB investigators found most of the wreckage Wednesday and planned to search the woods Friday for more pieces, the AP reported. The agency will not name a cause during its on-scene work. A preliminary report is due within 30 days and a final report in 12 to 24 months, WMTV said.
The NTSB has asked witnesses or anyone with video to email witness@ntsb.gov, according to WMTV.
What we know: Six Wisconsin residents died, and the pilot reported icing at 24,000 feet and asked to descend before the crash.
What we don't: What caused the plane to go down, which the NTSB will not decide until its final report.
Where outlets agree The AP and WMTV both report that six people died when a Piper PA-46 crashed in Sauk County on Tuesday night.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.