SAUK COUNTY, Wis. — We're learning more about a plane crash that killed six people Tuesday night in Sauk County.
The pilot of the Piper Malibu Meridian plane that crashed was highly experienced and reported encountering icing shortly before communication with the aircraft was lost, according to flight and federal aviation records.
The pilot has not been publicly identified, and we are not naming the pilot until authorities release that information.
FlightAware records show the plane departed Kenosha Regional Airport at 8:43 p.m. Tuesday bound for Menomonie Municipal Airport in western Wisconsin.
The flight track shows the aircraft making a sharp U-turn west of State Highway 23 and Interstate 94 area.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the plane was flying at 24,000 feet when the pilot radioed air traffic control reported icing and requested permission to descend. After the turn, according to the NTSB, communication and flight-tracking data from the aircraft were lost.
Dick Knapinski, spokesperson for the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh and a pilot with 30 years of flying experience, said icing can significantly affect an aircraft's performance.
“The pilot, just judging by the turn, was probably trying to come back towards the Wisconsin Dells and toward the airport there,” Knapinski said. “And what icing can do, again, adding weight and a difference in airflow, it can make the aircraft unstable.”
Flight data shows sharp increase in speed
Knapinski said another notable element of the flight track was the aircraft's increase in speed as it turned.
“That aircraft was suddenly doing 300 miles per hour, and that aircraft usually flies, it cruises at 250,” Knapinski said.
FlightAware data shows the aircraft reached a top speed of 382 mph. That was at 15,150 feet. Data shows the plane then descended at 170 degrees, last recorded at 272 mph. There's no data after 9:29 p.m.
“It is an aggressive maneuver, certainly, and a pilot at that point was either trying to get down very quickly or there was something else happening with that aircraft at that time,” Knapinski explained.
The exact cause of the crash has not been determined.
Records show pilot held advanced licenses
Federal Aviation Administration records show the aircraft is owned by Compass Pro LLC, a professional consulting services company based in Baldwin, Wisconsin.
The registered agent for Compass Pro holds both an airline transport pilot certificate and a commercial pilot certificate, according to FAA records. Knapinski said that is two of the highest certifications a pilot can hold and considers the pilot "extremely experienced."
Knapinski said the circumstances surrounding the crash stand out given the aircraft and the experience of the person flying it.
“It is unusual for a really good airplane such as the Piper Malibu, and sounds like a very experienced pilot, what exactly happened,” Knapinski said.
Investigators with the NTSB and FAA are expected to examine the weather conditions, the aircraft's flight, its maintenance history, the pilot and the aircraft itself as they work to determine what caused the crash.
A preliminary report could be released in the coming days or weeks. The full investigation could take 12 to 24 months.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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