Six people died when a Piper PA-46 slammed into the trees in Dellona, Sauk County, on Tuesday. The plane had left Kenosha for Menomonie. It went down about 9:30 p.m. Ron Riek of Woodville was one of them. Five adults and one child were on the flight. None survived.
Riek flew for years and ran a business. He also stood up for families who lost people in plane crashes. He backed the fly-in and drive-in events that brought in money for those left behind. Menomonie Airport Commission Chairman Daniel Johnson named him as one of the dead. Johnson called him a familiar face who helped when it counted.
The crash happened in thick woods. Crews had to fight through the dark and the brush to reach the site. The short hop across Wisconsin ended in the trees instead of the runway.
People who shared hangars with Riek said he never turned away from the tough jobs. He knew the cost of a lost plane because he had seen it hit other families. Now the same thing hit his own.
The aviation group around Menomonie and Woodville felt the cut right away. One of the six was a child. The plane never reached its destination. The woods in Dellona took all of them.
Riek’s support for other families made him stand out. That same circle now faces the hole he left. Tuesday night’s flight stopped short in Sauk County. Six people did not come home.
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