Two people died in a plane crash Tuesday morning near Rock County’s Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport, authorities reported.
The two people, who were not identified, were the only occupants of what was described as an “experimental” and “very unique” plane that crashed shortly before 9:30 a.m. near the airport, authorities said at a mid-day news conference at the airport.
The airport is about 2 miles north of the West Riverside Energy Center, Alliant Energy’s new natural gas power plant in Beloit.
The plane took off from the airport and was attempting to return when it crashed in a wooded, low-lying area with lots of water near the airport that was a “treacherous area to get to,” Rock County Sheriff Troy Knudson said.
The occupants had a “very, very brief” conversation with the airport tower in which they reported an “undisclosed problem and moments later tower personnel saw the plane go down and immediately called 911,” Knudson said.
About 10 minutes later, a neighbor was the first to locate the crash site in a rural area about a mile south of the airport and that person directed a town of Beloit police officer to the site, and the officer coordinated the response.
Emergency responders weren’t able to get to the plane even with ATVs due to the heavy snow and terrain, and the Rock County Sheriff’s Office airboat was used to get to the wreck.
“Navigating all of that was very, very difficult,” Knudson said.
Officials reached the plane shortly after 10 a.m., finding it upside down and partially submerged in the water and mud, and recovered the two bodies, Knudson said.
There was a debris field and it was evident that the plane hit several trees, which tore the wings off, and that probably caused it to end up upside down, authorities said.
The Rock County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the identifications of the two people, Knudson said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will be taking over primary responsibility for the investigation of the crash, he said.
Columbus woman charged in murder-for-hire plot tops recent notable crime-related news
Columbus woman charged in murder-for-hire plot
A Columbus woman was charged Monday in federal court with trying to hire someone over the internet to kill a man.
Kelly R. Harper, 37, was arrested Friday after federal and local investigators were tipped off by the intended victim and journalists who reportedly uncovered the plot. Harper faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of using the internet to hire someone to commit murder, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Columbus woman charged in murder-for-hire plot to remain in custody
A Columbus woman charged Monday with attempting to buy a man’s murder through the internet’s “dark web” will remain in custody for now, after a brief hearing in federal court Tuesday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Elgersma told U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker that prosecutors intend to take the case against Kelly R. Harper, 37, to a grand jury on Wednesday to seek a formal indictment. Harper was charged in a criminal complaint Monday with using the internet to hire someone to commit murder.
Not guilty plea entered for boy accused of shooting infant, will seek waiver to juvenile court
A 16-year-old Albany boy accused of shooting to death his newborn daughter last month pleaded not guilty to first-degree intentional homicide after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing in the matter on Friday.
Logan T. Kruckenberg-Anderson now intends to seek to send his case from adult criminal court, where it was originally filed in Green County, into juvenile court under a procedure set in state law.
Far East Side homeowner wakes up to see burglar wearing headlamp, Madison police say
A Far East Side homeowner woke up early Monday morning and saw a burglar standing outside his bedroom door wearing a headlamp, Madison police reported.
When the homeowner in the 5300 block Park Meadow Drive woke up about 3:35 a.m. and saw the burglar, that person quickly fled back out through the garage door, police spokesman Tyler Grigg said in a report.
Man shows up at hospital with gunshot wound after shots reported on East Side, Madison police say
A man showed up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound Monday night after shots were reported on the East Side, Madison police reported.
Officers were dispatched at 8:52 p.m. on the report of shots in the 3000 block of Webb Avenue, Sgt. Kurt Wege said in a report.
Barneveld man arrested for battery, strangulation, suffocation in domestic case, Iowa County authorities say
A Barneveld man was arrested Wednesday afternoon for battery, strangulation and suffocation in a domestic case, Iowa County authorities reported.
Iowa County deputies and Barneveld police officers arrested Joseph C. Jordee Jr., 31, after making contact with him on Ruste Road in Barneveld about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office said in a report.
Stolen car raced at 100 mph before crashing into 67-year-old man's car on East Side
A 67-year-old man's car was hit by a stolen car on the East Side Thursday morning after the stolen car was racing at around 100 mph, Madison police said.
The 67-year-old man was driving on E. Washington Avenue near N. Fourth Street when he was hit by the stolen white Kia Forte at around 6:10 a.m., Madison police spokesperson Tyler Grigg said.
Judge says astronomer's case against American Girl doll can proceed, dismisses some claims
A Chicago astronomer’s claim that Middleton-based dollmaker American Girl appropriated the astronomer’s likeness will go forward, a federal judge ruled Thursday, though he dismissed some of the claims made in the lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge James Peterson said he would allow Lucianne Walkowicz, an astronomer and science presenter based at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, to pursue a false endorsement claim against American Girl related to its 2018 Girl of the Year doll called Luciana Vega.
Sparta woman dies when thrown from SUV, hit by car on I-90 near Tomah, State Patrol says
A Sparta woman was killed when she was thrown from her SUV during a crash on Interstate 90 near Tomah Friday morning and then hit by a car, the State Patrol reported.
The 35-year-old woman, who was not named pending notification of family, was driving alone east on I-90 in a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe shortly before 5:45 a.m. when she lost control, most likely due to road conditions, Sgt. Gary Helgerson said in a report.
Man's car stolen with young child still inside while picking up food on East Side
A man’s car was stolen with his child still inside of it while it was left running on the East Side Friday evening, Madison police said.
The man was inside of a restaurant picking up food on the 1900 block of Winnebago Street about 6:05 p.m., and his car was left unlocked and running with his young child inside, Sgt. Gregory Sosoka said. The car was gone by the time he got back.
