A Wisconsin logistics company founder and longtime pilot died along with five other people when his Piper PA-46 Malibu crashed Tuesday night after ice built up on the wings, The Daily Jagran reported, citing local officials and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Ron Riek, who started a warehousing and distribution firm in Woodville after working as a trucker, was identified by Menomonie Airport Commission Chairman Daniel Johnson at a public meeting. Riek held an airline transport pilot rating and regularly flew from Menomonie airport, using his plane to visit customers.
The NTSB said the pilot reported icing at 24,000 feet and requested a descent. Air traffic control approved it, but the plane entered a sharply increasing right turn before communications and data tracking were lost shortly before 10 p.m. The six-seat, single-engine aircraft went down in a wooded area near Mirror Lake State Park, close to Wisconsin Dells. No one on the ground was hurt.
Johnson described Riek as an enthusiastic and engaged member of the local aviation community and noted the Piper PA-46 has a reputation for poor performance in thunderstorms. The crash marks the second fatal accident involving the Menomonie aviation community in 18 months, following a 2025 crash that killed four people.
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