It seems scary to fly these days with all these high profile flying mishaps. But at least these three people had a happy ending to their plane crash. They miraciously survived crashing on the side of a snowy mountain in Vermont.
The incident happened on Wednesday, February 26. First Assistant Fire Chief Jamie Greene of the Manchester Fire Department confirmed that search and rescue crews managed to rescue all three people from the plane crash. The three suffered "non-life threatening injuries." They ended up going to a nearby hospital for treatment.
More than 100 people worked together to pull off the rescue. Search efforts were empeded by heavy fog and snow in the area. "Once you got about halfway up the mountain, they were in four feet deep of snow," Greene said. "Literally, it was waist-deep."
People Survive Plane Crash
Given the fact that they could have ended up a lot worse, it's a miracle that the pilot and two passengers were "awake" and "aware" when crews arrived. They crashed landed at 3,200 feet elevation. Two NYS rangers dropped down from a helicopter to assist with the rescue.
"They did an assessment from the air, which in return they dropped two rangers out of their basket down on the ground, so they could help assess with the patient care," said Greene. "And then we made a game plan moving forward, how to get them out of there."
From there, they helped to lift each of the plane crash victims up into the helicopter. Green praised the pilot's ability to avoid a much deadlier crash. But they acknowledge that snow played a major role in cushioning the fall of the plane and preventing it from exploding.
"Obviously, the snow helped cushion in the fall," said Greene. "The way that the fuselage went in the snow really helped cushion everything."
The fire chief also took a moment to thank everyone for their support.
"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the community for their invaluable assistance," said Greene. "Your support, whether through providing snowshoes, snowmobiles or food, played a crucial role in ensuring a successful rescue operation."
