Pilot issued haunting warning before plane crash killed 6 in Wisconsin
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Six people, including one child, were killed in a plane crash in Wisconsin on Tuesday night after the pilot reported that ice was accumulating on the wings during a thunderstorm, authorities reported.
The single-engine, six-seat plane was en route from Kenosha to Menomonie when it crashed shortly before 10 p.m. in a wooded area near Mirror Lake State Park, not far from Wisconsin Dells, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department said. Rain was falling as a thunderstorm moved through the Town of Dellona.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot notified an air traffic controller of wing icing on the Piper PA-46 at 24,000 feet (7,315 meters) and asked for clearance to descend. Ice buildup is a severe aviation hazard because even a thin layer can make it difficult for an aircraft to stay airborne.
Air traffic control approved the request, and the aircraft entered a right descending turn that increased in rate until radio contact and tracking data were lost, according to the NTSB.
The Sauk County Sheriff’s Department reported receiving multiple calls of a downed aircraft. No buildings were damaged, and no injuries were reported on the ground. The names of the five adults and child who died aboard the plane were not immediately released.
The NTSB is leading the investigation into the site, situated roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Wisconsin Dells. The area promotes itself as the “Waterpark Capital of the World” owing to its concentration of parks, attracting more than 5 million visitors in 2025, according to state tourism figures.
