Miraculous Escape: Pilot and All Passengers Parachute from Plane Before Fatal Crash

A pilot parachuted out of a single-engine Cessna C206 before it crashed on Saturday afternoon, with all six passengers miraculously surviving.

The incident occurred just before 1 pm in a hay field near Butler Memorial Airport, located about 62 miles south of Kansas City. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane was on a skydiving mission when it crashed.

Preliminary information indicates that all passengers parachuted to safety before the pilot followed suit. The wreckage was discovered in a field east of the airport’s runways by the Bates County Sheriff’s Office.

Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson confirmed in an email that all individuals onboard had safely parachuted out before the plane went down. First responders arrived on the scene shortly after receiving a report of the crash around 1 pm. All passengers and the pilot were treated and released at the scene.

The Federal Aviation Administration verified that the aircraft involved was a single-engine Cessna C206. The pilot, who was wearing a parachute, managed to jump from the plane before the crash and was later found at an airport hangar.

The Bates County Sheriff’s Office is collaborating with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the crash. The sheriff’s office reported that the plane was a total loss.