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Community mourns pilot among 6 dead in Wisconsin plane crash

Marcus Chen
Managing Editor · Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 7:37 PM · 1 min read
Community mourns pilot among 6 dead in Wisconsin plane crash — WCCO / CBS Minnesota, Eagan Dining news
Image: WCCO / CBS Minnesota

The town of Woodville, Wisconsin, is mourning the loss of Ron Riek, a prominent businessman and pilot killed in a small plane crash Tuesday night near the Wisconsin Dells. Five of his passengers were also killed, including a child, according to the Sauk County Sheriff's Office.Riek owned a trucking company for over 30 years in Woodville. WCCO spoke with community members and found a common theme: he had a heart of gold.The crash occurred Tuesday night around 9:30 p.m., when the six-seat, single-engine Piper PA-46 he was piloting crashed about 10 miles southwest of the Wisconsin Dells.Authorities say Riek and his passengers were flying to Menominee from Kenosha, and the NTSB said Riek reported icing on the wings and needed to descend. Soon after air traffic controller approved the descent, communications were completely lost."Ron was a really outgoing guy. He would be very helpful with all his workers. Outside of work, he was just super nice," said Erin McMahon, who works at Woodville C

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