Small plane crash in rural Wisconsin kills 4
AMERY, Wis. -- Authorities say four people have died after a small plane crashed in a field in rural western Wisconsin.
A statement from the Polk County Sheriff's Office says the department was notified of the crash in the town of Alden just before 5:30 p.m. Monday.
Deputies who responded found a single-engine Beechcraft plane burning in the field. The statement says firefighters extinguished the blaze and the remains of four occupants were found inside the aircraft.
The remains have been taken to a medical examiner's office in Anoka, Minnesota, for autopsies and identifications.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
No names or ages of those killed have been released. The sheriff's department says more information will be made public after a meeting Tuesday with FAA and NTSB officials.
CBS Minnesota reports the plane was registered in Wisconsin and all on board were Wisconsin residents. Authorities believe the plane originated from within 50 miles of the crash site, the statin says.
Witnesses told CBS Minnesota they spotted the plane spiraling to the ground, then crash into a ball of flames.
The plane landed on Karen Olson's property. "I heard a plane, pounding on my door and someone said, 'A plane crashed in your field and your field is on fire,"' she told the station. "All I could see was smoke."