What we know
What we know: Local warehouse owner among the 6 people killed in Wisconsin plane crash
Compiled Oct 15
What we know
- A plane owned by longtime pilot Ron Riek crashed in Wisconsin, killing him and five others.
- Menomonie Airport Commission Chairman Daniel Johnson confirmed Riek's death at a public meeting Wednesday night.
- The NTSB is leading the investigation into the crash.
- The pilot reported icing on the wings of the Piper PA-46 Malibu while flying at 24,000 feet and asked to descend.
- Air traffic control approved the descent, and the plane entered a right turn that sharply increased before contact was lost.
- The plane was traveling from Kenosha to Menomonie and crashed near Mirror Lake State Park; no one on the ground was hurt.
What we don’t know yet
- The names of the five other people killed have not yet been released.
- The investigation into the crash's cause is ongoing, led by the NTSB.
Open questions
- Who are the other five people who died in the crash?
- What caused the descent rate to increase so sharply before contact was lost?
- Will the NTSB confirm icing as the cause of the crash?
- Could the plane's known issues with thunderstorms have been addressed to prevent this crash?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.