Six people are dead following a plane crash Tuesday night near Reedsburg, Wisconsin, Tuesday night, according to a statement from the Sauk County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said in an initial statement that the Sauk County Dispatch Center received reports of a downed plane just after 9:30 on Tuesday night.
Deputies and emergency personnel located the aircraft with "multiple individuals involved."
Five adults and one child were on board the plane, which was flying a return trip from Kenosha, Wisconsin, to Menomonie, Wisconsin, officials said in a follow-up statement.
"As a result of the search, all six occupants of the aircraft were located deceased on scene," according to the sheriff's office.
According to authorities, the plane was located "in a densely wooded area."
The sheriff's office said the plane was reportedly "in contact with a nearby air traffic control tower," and they are working to learn what the transmissions were "and if a weather event in the area may have played any role in the crash."
Authorities are not identifying the deceased at this time.
The sheriff's office also shared there have been no reports of damage to structures or injuries to people on the ground.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Piper PA-46.
According to preliminary information included in a statement from the National Transportation Safety Board, "the plane was flying at 24,000 feet when the pilot reported icing and requested to descend."
According to the NTSB, "Air traffic control approved the descent, and the aircraft entered a right descending turn that increased in rate until communications and data tracking were lost."
The NTSB said investigators are traveling to the scene, and a preliminary report will be available within 30 days.
Investigators are working "to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash," according to the sheriff's office.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash, with the NTSB leading the investigation, according to the FAA statement.
Reedsburg is a southern Wisconsin town located near the Wisconsin Dells and roughly 55 miles northwest of Madison, Wisconsin.
