FLYING Magazine
Three skydivers in Wisconsin witnessed a small airplane perform an unscheduled off-airport landing in a corn field and literally jumped into action.
The airplane in distress was identified as a Beechcraft 35-A33 Debonair. The skydivers told authorities they witnessed the small plane take off from East Troy Municipal Airport (57C) around 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday then disappear behind a tree line. When it didn’t reappear, they wondered if it had crashed.
The airport is located in a rural area approximately 23 miles southwest of Milwaukee.
According to a statement from Skydive Milwaukee, the skydivers who came to the rescue were aboard a Cessna Caravan jump plane when they observed the Debonair go down in a cornfield.
Because the location was difficult to reach from the road they decided to jump in. One of the skydivers was a former EMT and instructed the pilot of the jump aircraft to get them close to the crash site.
According to local firefighters who responded to the scene, the skydivers assisted the four people on board the aircraft until help arrived. The pilot and three passengers aboard the Debonair sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Three were taken to a local hospital as a precaution, and the fourth occupant was treated at the scene and released.
Video images of the crash site captured by WISN News Chopper 12 shows the aircraft in the field.There is a wide swath cut in a corn field and the Debonair resting slightly on its left side with the door open. There were no signs of fire.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident.