Names of two people dead in Watertown plane crash confirmed

WATERTOWN, Wis. (WMTV) - The names of the two people who died when a small plane crashed Wednesday morning in Watertown have been confirmed.

The report from the Federal Aviation Administaration released Thursday confirms that one member of the flight crew and a passenger died in the crash. The pilot, William A. Buchholtz was taking his 8-year-old grandson Colin Strebe for a ride when the plane went down.

Colin’s school released a statement saying he was an exceptional student who brought joy, enthusiasm and kindness to class.

His grandfather was a well-known retired dentist, born and raised in Watertown. He is remembered as a hard worker who loved spending time with his family.

The report states the plane crashed under unknown circumstances and was in its initial climb at the time. The FAA is still investigating the cause of the crash.

The Watertown Police Department’s report from Wednesday said the plane departed from Watertown’s airport. It went down around 9 a.m. near Brandt-Quirk Park, in the 800 block of Carriage Hill Drive, near the high school. Authorities cordoned off the entire park, which is about four miles from the airport, and blocked off the road.

The police department noted the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were involved in the investigation.

The NTSB confirmed the type of plane in a tweet, identifying the plane as a Mooney M20R, a type of four-seat, single-engine plane, produced up until 2019. The FAA’s report corroborated the plane’s description.

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