Recreational skydivers aboard a jump plane spotted a light aircraft crash near East Troy, Wisconsin, and parachuted in to help.
The single-engine aircraft came down on September 27, 2026, at about 13:30 local time in a cornfield near Carvers School Road and Lawlor Road, just south of East Troy Municipal Airport, where the Skydive Milwaukee drop zone is based.
Skydivers spot crash from jump plane
Several members of the Skydive Milwaukee community were already airborne in a jump plane when the crash was spotted below. Some of those aboard were trained emergency medical technicians.
With the crash site difficult to reach by road, the jump pilot offered to put the EMT-trained skydivers down near the wreckage.
Air traffic control audio captured the pilot asking whether the skydivers could be dropped over the site. The controller left the decision to the pilot’s discretion.
30 minutes ago: Wisconsin pilot drops skydivers over plane crash site to help with the rescue pic.twitter.com/IRq1eVNuQa
— ATC (@theATCapp) September 27, 2026
The skydivers then parachuted into the area and went to assist the occupants of the aircraft. Skydive Milwaukee said the crashed aircraft was not associated with its operation.
All four people aboard survive
East Troy Fire Rescue, the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department, and the Town and Village of East Troy police departments also responded to the scene, with the Walworth County Communications Center coordinating the emergency response. The joint release credited Skydive Milwaukee with assisting in the response.
All four people aboard the aircraft survived, according to a joint release from the Town of East Troy Police Department and East Troy Fire Rescue. Three were transported for medical evaluation, while a fourth was assessed at the scene and released. The agencies did not disclose the occupants’ identities or conditions.
Accident database records identify the aircraft as a Beechcraft 35-A33 Debonair registered N1288Z.
According to the FAA aircraft registry, the aircraft was built in 1961 and is registered to a private individual in Wisconsin.