A California family, including 2-year-old, survived a plane crash by deploying a parachute system

A California family survived a plane crash after deploying a parachute system.

Shelter Cove Fire Department

• A California family survived a plane crash with only minor injuries by deploying a parachute system.
• The plane's engine lost power five minutes after takeoff, officials said.
• The parachute opened above the plane and slowed its descent before crashing into woodland.

A California family, including a man, a woman, and a two-year-old girl, survived a plane crash with only minor cuts and scratches after deploying a parachute system.

The family had been flying for five minutes when the airplane's engine lost power, according to a release from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office (MCSO).

The pilot noticed that the plane's altitude was too low for recovery and deployed the airplane's built-in Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, which opens a parachute above the entire plane and slows its descent, per the department.

The parachute then slowly crashed into a heavily wooded area of Yellow Road in Whitethorn, California, MCSO said.

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MCSO deputies were dispatched to the crash scene at around 1:15 p.m. on March 8.

Mendocino County Sheriff's spokesperson Captain Quincy Cromer said that it was a "miracle" that the family had escaped with such minor injuries.

"These are usually worst-case scenarios," he said, per ABC7.

He said the plane was entangled in trees about 100 feet off the ground.

The Shelter Cove Fire Department, which also responded to the incident, shared photos on Instagram of the plane with the parachute open above it and other images of the aircraft after it crashed into trees.

"Even with the parachute the parties involved were extremely fortunate to only receive minor injuries," the department wrote.

The fire department said this was the second small plane crash that they have responded to in the last two years, and both resulted in minor injuries and no fatalities, although both aircraft were destroyed.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been contacted and will investigate the incident, MCSO said.

The Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association said the parachute system had saved 253 lives as of March 2023.

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