BARRON COUNTY, Wis. (press release) -- On Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at 6:34 pm the Barron County Sheriff’s Department received several calls of a plane crash south of Chetek.
Deputies from the Barron County Sheriff’s Department along with the Chetek Police Department, WI DNR, Chetek Ambulance, Bloomer Ambulance, Chetek Fire Department, Sand Creek Fire Department, WI State Patrol and Life Link Helicopter responded to the scene.
The plane wreckage was located in the Red Cedar River south of Chetek about 3 miles. Two subjects were pulled from the water. Hunter Gillett, 18 of Cameron was taken by Bloomer Ambulance to an Eau Claire Hospital and later flown to Rochester where he is in serious condition. Owen Knutson, 17 of Chetek was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Knutson was the pilot of the 2 seater Piper Fixed Wing single engine plane and took off from a private airstrip on the Knutson Property south of Chetek.
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department along with the Barron County Medical Examiner’s Office, the FAA and the NTSB are all on scene handling the investigation.
Please keep these families and the students of the Chetek and Cameron School districts in your prayers.
No media will be allowed on any school district property.
Per Chris Fitzgerald, Barron County Sherriff Department
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CHETEK, Wis. -- A plane crashed into a river near Chetek on Wednesday, May 24, 2017, according to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, killing one teenager and injuring another.
According to sources, the teen that died was a high school student in Chetek. The injured teenager was flown to Mayo hospital and was in critical condition as of late last night.
Sheriff Fitzgerald said the single-engine, two-seater plane crashed into the Red Cedar River southeast of Chetek at approximately 6:30 P.M.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this time.
DrydenWire.com will update this post when more information becomes available.
Last Update: May 25, 2017 11:11 am CDT
