Skydivers help after plane crash in East Troy, Wisconsin; all four aboard survive

A pilot flying skydivers over East Troy, Wisconsin, watched a second aircraft drop below the tree line on Sunday and turned his jump flight into part of the emergency response. Jonah Johnson radioed in the crash location, then offered to put his passengers on the ground near the wreckage, according to local reporting.

Johnson said his first priority was keeping the situation under control. Panicking, he told CBS 58, would have put his own passengers at risk and left them unable to help.

Three skydivers jumped, among them Kevin Flynn and John Bechtel, both former emergency medical technicians. After landing, they crossed a field toward the downed aircraft. Flynn said the group had trouble finding the plane in tall corn and called out until the occupants answered.

Flynn said he and Bechtel believed their medical backgrounds would let them assist.

Four people were on board the aircraft that went down in the Town of East Troy, local authorities said. Three were taken for medical evaluation; the fourth was checked and released at the scene, according to police. Authorities credited Sky Dive Milwaukee for its role in the response.

The source did not identify the aircraft type or the operator of the downed plane, describe the injuries beyond the transport and release figures, or say what caused the crash.

Skydiving aircraft have figured in unusual emergencies in recent years. In 2024, a pilot and six skydivers exited a damaged Cessna 206 before the aircraft went down.