On the afternoon of 27/9, Sean Plastine's group gathered in Wisconsin for a planned skydive from nearly 4,300 meters. Before their plane took off, they observed another aircraft disappear behind a tree line in the distance. When it failed to reappear, they suspected the Beechcraft Debonair had crashed.

"My heart sank", said Jonah Johnson, the pilot of the plane carrying the skydivers. "I just thought, 'Something's happened, I need to go see if they're okay'".

Johnson immediately maneuvered the Cessna Caravan over the trees, circling the area to locate the downed aircraft. They soon discovered the Beechcraft Debonair had crashed into a cornfield.

"There was no time to discuss", Plastine stated. "It was simply, 'Someone needs help. Alright, let's go'".

Johnson reported the accident in Walworth County to air traffic control, informing them he would deploy a team of skydivers to assist. With clearance from air traffic control, Plastine, along with his two friends, John Bechtel and Kevin Flynn, jumped from approximately 915 meters. They landed in a soybean field near the crash site.

A skydive from about 900 meters is an extremely rare and risky endeavor. Unlike standard jumps from 3,000-4,000 meters, which allow for a period of freefall, the team had to deploy their parachutes almost immediately upon exiting the aircraft. This meant they had little time to react if their parachutes malfunctioned.

"Three skydivers are on the ground", Johnson, 24 years old, informed air traffic control.

From left to right: John Bechtel, Sean Plastine, and Kevin Flynn. *Photo: WISN*.

Bechtel and Flynn shed their skydiving gear and ran through the three-meter-tall corn stalks to reach the crashed plane. Flynn, a former emergency medical technician, attended to a woman with a bleeding head wound, ensuring she remained conscious. According to Flynn, her injuries were not life-threatening.

Plastine, 38 years old, ran to the road to guide rescue personnel to the scene. Emergency medical services arrived just minutes after the skydivers reached the victims.

Authorities in East Troy reported that three of the four occupants of the Beechcraft Debonair were transported for medical evaluation, while the remaining individual was assessed by rescuers at the scene and cleared to leave.

According to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), one passenger sustained minor injuries, while the others were unharmed. The FAA report also indicated engine trouble as a contributing factor to the accident, with the agency continuing its investigation into the specific cause.

A skydiving maneuver by members of the Wisconsin Skydiving Center in 2017. *Photo: WSC*.

While rescue operations were underway, Johnson landed his aircraft at East Troy Municipal Airport. He then continued to take other skydiving groups into the air, simultaneously observing the accident site to ensure no further incidents occurred.

Plastine's group returned home, preparing for their new work week.

"It's surprising to go through something like that on Sunday and then go to work on Monday", shared Plastine, a mechanical engineer. "But I think that's what all emergency responders do".

By Hong Hanh (Source: Washington Post, Fox News)