Six people, including a child, were killed after a small plane crashed during stormy weather Tuesday night, leaving investigators examining the aircraft’s final communications before it went down.
The single-engine Piper PA-46 was traveling from Kenosha to Menomonie when it crashed in a wooded area near Dellona, Wisconsin, shortly before 10 p.m. on October 13, according to authorities. All six occupants were found dead at the scene.
One of the most concerning details emerged from preliminary information shared by the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot reportedly told an air traffic controller that ice was building up on the plane’s wings while the aircraft was flying at approximately 24,000 feet. The pilot then requested permission to descend.
Air traffic control approved the request. The plane began turning right while descending, and the turn reportedly grew increasingly steep before communications and flight-tracking data were lost, according to the NTSB.
Rain was falling as a thunderstorm moved through the area around the time of the crash. However, investigators have not established whether the weather or ice buildup caused the aircraft to go down.
Emergency responders received reports of a downed aircraft around 9:30 p.m. The crash occurred in a wooded area, but authorities reported no injuries on the ground and no damage to nearby structures.
The identities of the five adults and one child had not been publicly released in initial reports.
The NTSB is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration. Investigators are reviewing the pilot’s communications and other evidence to determine what happened before the fatal crash.