Skydive Milwaukee jumpers aid survivors after plane crash near East Troy

Skydive Milwaukee skydivers trained as emergency medical technicians jumped to help after their aircraft’s crew spotted a plane crash near East Troy, Wisconsin, on Sunday, Sept. 27. Four people were aboard the crashed plane; three were taken to hospital for evaluation and the fourth was assessed and released at the scene, according to local officials. All four survived.

The crash happened at about 1:30 p.m. in a cornfield near Carver School Road and Lawlor Road, just south of East Troy airport, East Troy Fire and Rescue told TMJ4 News. The skydivers were already in the air when they saw the plane go down, according to the fire department’s account. Their jump put people with emergency medical training at a site Skydive Milwaukee said was difficult to reach from the road.

How the skydivers reached the East Troy crash site

John Bechtel, one of the jumpers, described seeing the other aircraft bank and disappear behind trees. He told WISN, in an account reported by The Guardian, that the group waited for it to reappear before realizing they might have witnessed a crash. Bechtel and two colleagues alerted authorities on the ground and then jumped toward the site, The Guardian reported.

The jump plane’s pilot, Jonah Johnston, told air traffic controllers that an aircraft had crashed in a field south of East Troy and that he could drop skydivers nearby to help, according to an emergency call quoted by The Guardian. Skydive Milwaukee said the people who jumped were members of its skydiving community trained as emergency medical technicians. It also said the crashed plane was not connected with its operation.

One of the jumpers, described by The Guardian as a former paramedic, helped a woman with a serious head injury until an ambulance crew arrived. That specific injury and treatment account comes from The Guardian’s reporting; the local officials’ statement carried by TMJ4 describes the skydivers’ assistance without detailing individual injuries. Bechtel, whom The Guardian described as having more than 30 years of skydiving experience, said he was glad the group could help.

What officials said about the four people aboard

The Town of East Troy Police Department and East Troy Fire and Rescue said three occupants were transported to hospital for medical evaluation. The fourth was evaluated and released at the scene, according to the joint account reported by TMJ4 and CBS 58. FOX6 Milwaukee reported that all four survived, but said the condition of those taken to hospital had not been specified. The Guardian said the occupants’ identities had not been released as of its Sept. 29 report.

People nearby also tried to assist. Graham Adsit told TMJ4 that he and Dean Adsit were working on their combines when they noticed emergency vehicles. After learning a plane had crashed, Graham took a tractor toward the area because he was concerned about a possible fire. He told the station there was no smoke. His account places the skydivers’ response alongside help from neighbors and the arriving emergency crews.

East Troy Fire and Rescue, the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office, and police from the town and village of East Troy responded, TMJ4 reported. CBS 58 said officials also credited the Walworth County Communications Center for coordinating the response. Graham Adsit described seeing people coordinate quickly, telling TMJ4: ‘Great teamwork is what I saw.’

What remains unknown about the plane crash

The cause of the crash had not been established in the local reports available on Sept. 29. TMJ4, FOX6 and CBS 58 reported that the Federal Aviation Administration was leading an investigation in coordination with the Town of East Troy Police Department. Local officials said additional information would be released as that work continued. Their preliminary account does not explain why the aircraft went down or provide detailed medical updates for the three people taken to hospital.

The Guardian identified the aircraft as a 1961 Beechcraft 35-A33 Debonair and said WISN aerial footage showed it upright in the field with a wing detached. Those aircraft details come from The Guardian’s description of the footage. For now, the confirmed outcome is that all four occupants survived, while the cause remains under investigation.