
A pilot and six passengers on a skydiving flight managed to jump to safety before their small plane crashed into a Missouri hayfield on Saturday. The incident, which unfolded near the Butler Memorial Airport, left the single-engine Cessna U206C a “total loss,” according to the Bates County Sheriff’s Office.
Details about what led to the crash are still scarce, but the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the plane was on a “skydiving mission” when things took a dramatic turn. In a split-second decision that likely saved their lives, the pilot and all six passengers parachuted from the aircraft before it went down.
Remarkably, everyone on board escaped relatively unscathed. Paramedics treated the pilot and passengers at the scene before releasing them, a testament to their quick thinking and sheer luck. The pilot was found in a hangar at the airport, while the passengers landed safely in the surrounding area.
As investigators work to piece together what went wrong, the wreckage of the plane will be recovered and taken to an offsite facility for further examination. For now, though, the focus is on the incredible story of survival against all odds.