Skydivers watch plane vanish from sight, make split-second decision to jump
Mile‑High Rescue: Skydivers Jump to Aid Plane Crash Victims Near East Troy Airport
East Troy, Wis., Sunday – A sudden crash of a single‑engine aircraft near East Troy Municipal Airport turned a routine training session into an impromptu emergency response, as a team of professional skydivers from Skydive Milwaukee leapt from their own plane to reach the wreckage within minutes.
The incident occurred on Sunday when a small plane, traveling from an unknown departure point, was spotted flying oddly over the airport. The aircraft, described by skydiver John Bechtel as “banking up a little bit” before vanishing behind a line of trees, crashed in a cornfield adjacent to the runways.
“We were all sitting there waiting for him to show back up somewhere, and he never did,” Bechtel told local station WSMV. “We all just kind of looked at each other like, ‘Did we just see a plane crash?’”
The skydivers – all seasoned professionals with the Skydive Milwaukee club – had just finished a practice jump when the unexpected sight caught their attention. Recognizing that the timing of the crash could mean the difference between life and death, the group quickly asked their pilot to find a safe drop zone.
Air traffic control confirmed the pilot had full discretion to release the jumpers over the area. “It is your discretion if you want to drop jumpers over the area,” the controller told the pilot, who replied, “Yes, I am going to drop a couple of them. Yeah, we are going to drop ‘em right now.”
Within minutes of the drop, the skydivers were on the ground, the first to reach the crash site. One of the jumpers, a former paramedic, immediately assessed a passenger with a serious head injury, providing critical first aid until emergency crews arrived.
All four occupants of the aircraft survived the crash. Bechtel said the timing of the jump was “couldn’t have been any better.” “Had we left five minutes earlier, we wouldn’t have seen it. Had we left 15 minutes later, we wouldn’t have been able to get there first and assist,” he recalled.
The skydivers’ actions were described as “extraordinary” by local authorities and the emergency services who praised their swift response. “We’re grateful that they were here so quickly,” said a spokesperson for the East Troy Police Department, noting that the team’s intervention likely saved lives.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into the crash. Skydive Milwaukee has declined to comment beyond confirming the participation of its members.
In an interview with WSMV, Bechtel reflected on the unique nature of the rescue. “I’m just glad that we were able to do what we were able to do and get in and help,” he said. “To be able to do this and to be able to help others in need – I would absolutely do that in a heartbeat.”
The incident has raised questions about the protocols for airspace use during emergencies. While the pilot exercised his discretion to drop the skydivers, the decision was not without risk. The drop was conducted within a cornfield, an area that could potentially have posed hazards to the jumpers themselves.
Officials from the NTSB are expected to release preliminary findings in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the skydiving community has lauded the bravery and quick thinking of the Skydive Milwaukee team, who turned a routine training day into an unplanned, life‑saving mission.