Card stack
Local warehouse owner among the 6 people killed in Wisconsin plane crash
Compiled Oct 15
What happened
A plane owned by longtime pilot Ron Riek crashed in Wisconsin, killing him and five others.
The detail
Menomonie Airport Commission Chairman Daniel Johnson confirmed Riek's death at a public meeting Wednesday night.
The detail
The NTSB is leading the investigation into the crash.
The detail
The pilot reported icing on the wings of the Piper PA-46 Malibu while flying at 24,000 feet and asked to descend.
How it unfolded
Last year: Four people died in a separate plane crash near Menomonie. · After that crash: Ron Riek helped organize a fundraiser for the three young children of a couple who died. · Shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday: The plane lost communications and data tracking after a sharply increasing descending turn, then crashed near Mirror Lake State Park. · Wednesday night: Daniel Johnson confirmed Ron Riek's death at a public meeting.
By the numbers
6 people killed · 24,000 feet altitude · 18 months time between fatal crashes · 4 deaths in prior crash · 5 million visitors
Still unresolved
The names of the five other people killed have not yet been released.