A pilot carrying a load of skydivers over East Troy, Wisconsin, watched another aircraft disappear below the tree line Sunday and quickly turned the jump flight into part of the emergency response. Pilot Jonah Johnson reported the accident location before offering to put his passengers on the ground near the wreckage, according to local CBS 58.
“The first thing that goes through my head is to stay calm,” Johnson told CBS 58. “The last thing I need is to do is freak out and have the people behind me freaking out, and then we become a disaster waiting to happen and not help out.”
Skydivers Render Aid
Three skydivers made the jump, including former EMTs Kevin Flynn and John Bechtel. After landing, the group worked its way through the field toward the aircraft and began assisting the occupants before emergency crews arrived. Flynn told CBS 58 that the group initially had difficulty locating the airplane in the tall corn and called out until the occupants responded.
“You think, oh my God, how can I help, what can I do?” Flynn told CBS 58. “Fortunately, myself and John Bechtel, we’re both former EMTs and we made a decision and said, hey, we think we can help.”
All Survive
The aircraft that went down in the Town of East Troy was carrying four people, according to local authorities. Three were transported for medical evaluation, while the fourth was evaluated and released at the scene, police said. Authorities specifically credited Sky Dive Milwaukee with assisting during the response.
Skydiving aircraft have been involved in several unusual emergencies in recent years, including a 2024 incident in which a pilot and six skydivers bailed out of a damaged Cessna 206 before it went down.
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