Six People Including One Child Killed in Wisconsin Dells Plane Crash
Six individuals including a child died Tuesday night when a single-engine plane crashed into wooded terrain near Mirror Lake State Park in Wisconsin.
POLICY WIRE — Dellona, Wisconsin — Six individuals, including a single child, lost their lives Tuesday night following a fatal plane crash near Wisconsin Dells, according to official reports from the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department.
The tragedy involved a six-seat, single-engine aircraft traveling on a route originating in Kenosha and heading toward Menomonie. Investigators noted that the plane went down in a heavily wooded area close to Mirror Lake State Park within the Town of Dellona slightly before 10 p.m., while rain fell amid a passing thunderstorm.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 24,000 feet, which translates to 7,315 meters, when the pilot communicated issues regarding icing and requested permission to drop lower. Federal air traffic controllers cleared the descent, prompting the plane to enter a right-turning downward trajectory that accelerated before all radar tracking and communications abruptly ceased.
The Sauk County Sheriff’s Department reported picking up multiple emergency alerts regarding a downed aircraft around 9:30 p.m. Responding teams ultimately recovered the bodies of five adults and one child at the crash site.
Law enforcement confirmed that the fixed-wing Piper PA-46 plane had successfully established contact with a local air traffic control tower prior to the disaster. Representatives from both the sheriff’s office and the Federal Aviation Administration stated that investigators are currently auditing those final radio communications alongside potential weather impacts.
Authorities confirmed that no ground structures sustained damage and no bystanders were injured during the incident. The identities of the six victims have been withheld pending family notifications, while both the FAA and NTSB continue their ongoing inquiries.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
