A group of professional skydivers with Skydive Milwaukee witnessed a small plane crash on Sunday near East Troy Municipal Airport. The skydivers, who were preparing for a jump, spotted the plane flying erratically before it disappeared behind a line of trees.
According to John Bechtel, one of the skydivers, the plane appeared to bank sharply before vanishing from sight. The group quickly realized that the plane had likely crashed, and they asked their pilot to identify a safe place for them to jump and assist.
Air traffic control gave the pilot the discretion to drop the skydivers over the area, and the pilot agreed to do so. The skydivers were the first to reach the crash site, where they alerted emergency crews to the situation.
One of the jumpers, a former paramedic, provided medical assistance to a person with a serious head injury until emergency services arrived. All four people on board the plane survived the crash, and the timing of the skydivers' arrival was crucial in allowing them to assist.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the cause of the crash.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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