EAST TROY, Wis. — A group of skydivers in Wisconsin jumped into action after noticing a small plane crash in a cornfield, alerting officials before landing to assist authorities.
The single-engine plane, which had four occupants, crashed at approximately 1:30 p.m. CT south of East Troy Municipal Airport, according to a news release from the East Troy Police Department.
Three were taken to an area hospital for medical evaluation, while the fourth person was evaluated and released at the scene, police said.
Jumpers from Skydive Milwaukee saw the plane go down and alerted emergency crews in Walworth County, WISN reported. Some of the skydivers then aided officials on the ground after landing, firefighters at the scene told the television station.
The plane that crashed was not associated with the skydiving company.
“A few members of our skydiving community who are trained EMTs were already airborne in one of our jump planes and jumped out to assist at the scene, which was difficult to access from the road,” Skydive Milwaukee said in a statement. “We’re grateful they were able to help when they were needed.”
John Betchel was one of the jumpers.
“I’m just glad that we were able to do what we could and get in and help,” Bechtel told WISN.
Bechtel, who has been a skydiver for three decades, called Sunday’s jump the most unusual one of his career.
“That is my first time jumping out for someone else’s emergency,” Bechtel told the television station.
Bechtel and two other members of Skydive Milwaukee were preparing for their jump when they noticed something odd about the small plane.
“He kind of banked up, and then he disappeared behind the trees, and we were all waiting for him to show back up. We all looked at each other and said, ‘Did we just see a plane crash?’” Bechtel told WISN.
The skydivers jumped and landed in the cornfield. One of them is a former paramedic and assisted one occupant of the plane who had a serious head wound.
“The timing couldn’t have been any better. Had we left five minutes earlier, we wouldn’t have seen it; if we left 15 minutes later, we wouldn’t have been able to get there to assist,” Bechtel told the television station.
The East Troy Police Department thanked Skydive Milwaukee’s jumpers for their assistance in its news release.
The Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating, WTMJ reported.
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