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A pilot’s worst nightmare is their airplane going down, especially with passengers onboard. But a pilot flying above Kansas City, Missouri got lucky. When their plane failed, all the passengers were already out and parachuting toward the ground.

The problem was likely that the final jumper’s parachute caught on the tail of the Cessna U206. When it hit the tail, it damaged the horizontal stabilizer the pilot uses to control the plane’s height. Without a stabilizer, the plane was going down.

The first stroke of luck was that every passenger had already jumped out and was safely drifting toward the ground. The pilot eventually put on their own parachute and jumped out after the passengers. The plane crashed in rural Butler, Missouri, 60 miles south of Kansas City.

The door of a flying plane with a skydiver jumping out.
Skydiver | Mauricio Graiki via iStockPhoto

The local sheriff says that emergency personnel responded to the scene, examined the pilot and passengers, and everyone was released immediately. The plane, on the other hand, will never fly again.

There’s no word yet on whether the plane had other issues. The Cessna was from 1968, but its maintenance was up to date, its most recent certification given in 2008. Also, there’s no word why the jumper deployed their parachute early enough to strike the plane. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash.

Next, find out which state has the most deadly airplane crashes, or see coverage of the plane crash in Missouri in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.