Turboprop Plane Crashes in Woods in Wisconsin, Killing at Least Seven

A plane flying from Chicago to Baraboo, Wis., crashed into a wooded hillside Monday, killing at least seven people and strewing twisted wreckage over a wide area, authorities said.

Jefferson County Coroner Ewald Reichert said that seven victims were confirmed to be on the twin-engined turboprop plane but that the toll may be higher.

One engine was found a short distance from the main part of the wreckage. Another was found in woods nearby. Bits of torn metal and paper littered the area. Authorities used chain saws to cut down trees to collect evidence.

Five of the victims were identified but their names were withheld pending notification of relatives.

Mort Edelstein, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Chicago, said eight people died.

Tom Beane, who owns farmland near the crash site, said: “There were parts of the plane all over, I’d say in a circle a thousand feet around, and there was a hole (in the ground) big enough to park a car in.”

The plane, which left Meigs Field in Chicago at 7:51 a.m., was en route to Baraboo when the pilot sent an emergency message shortly after 8 a.m., authorities said.

“The pilot was on his descent toward Baraboo when he radioed, ‘Mayday, mayday,’ several times,” Edelstein said.

Light rain was falling and visibility was limited to about eight miles when the plane went down, Edelstein said. He said the plane lost contact with Chicago radar 23 miles southeast of Madison.

The plane crashed about 8:20 a.m., an estimated five miles northwest of Fort Atkinson, authorities said. The crash was about 60 miles short of Baraboo.

The plane was registered to Dan-Par Inc., based in Danbury, Conn., authorities said. Edelstein identified the plane as a King Air 200 model, which is made by Beech Aircraft Corp. of Wichita, Kan.