The NTSB is investigating the crash of a Piper PA-46 JetProp in Wisconsin that killed five adults and one child on 13 October. The aircraft was returning from Kenosha Regional Airport to Menomonie Municipal Airport when it went down in the Town of Dellona, near Wisconsin Dells and Mirror Lake State Park. No one on the ground was injured and no structures were damaged.
The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office received reports of the downed aircraft at about 9:31 p.m. local time. Preliminary information from the NTSB indicates that the aircraft was flying at 24,000 feet when the pilot reported icing and requested a descent. Air traffic control approved the request, after which the aircraft entered a right-hand descending turn that increased in rate until communications and flight-tracking data were lost.
The FAA identified the aircraft as a Piper PA-46. The aircraft was a JetProp DLX conversion of a Malibu Mirage, replacing its piston engine with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop.
The NTSB is leading the investigation, with FAA assistance. Investigators are examining the pilot, aircraft, maintenance records, flight-track data, air-traffic-control communications, weather and the wider operating environment. Icing has not been established as the cause of the crash. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, while a final determination of probable cause could take 12 to 24 months.