Aircraft Crash

November 1, 2010

Special News Release

At approximately 2:10 PM the Sauk County Communication Center received a phone call reporting the crash of an aircraft on the property of U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center.

Upon arrival, investigators found aircraft in a cornfield south of the main plant of Badger Ordinance Works. Witnesses to the crash reported that the aircraft was being flown north when they observed a wing begin to break up and come apart. As the plane began to lose altitude, the second wing broke off and the aircraft crashed.

The plane was being flown by Thomas P. Mitchell, age 51, from West Fargo, North Dakota. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Sauk County Coroner. The aircraft was an experimental amateur-built aircraft, built in 2004. Initial investigation determined that the aircraft had just left the Sauk Prairie Airport prior to the crash.

The investigation continues by the Sauk County Sheriff's Department and the FAA. The Sauk County Sheriff's Department was assisted at the scene by members of the Badger Ordinance Works, the Sauk Prairie Fire Department, and Sauk Prairie Ambulance.

Chief Deputy Chip Meister
Sauk County Sheriff's Department