The 32-year-old former reality TV star, from Arkansas, blamed a ‘double engine failure’ for the crash, which occurred on October 29 at around 7 p.m.
However, a source at the sheriff’s department said the plane ran out of gas
There were two passengers on board and no one was hurt
John David has been a pilot for years and incorporated planes into his proposal and his baby announcement; his wife Abbie is now also a pilot
The father-of-one’s plane crash came just six months to the day after his older brother Josh, 33, was arrested on federal charges
The skies were not so friendly for John David Duggar last October, when he crash-landed in a field in Tennessee with two passengers aboard his plane.
People reports that the 32-year-old former reality TV star blamed a ‘double engine failure’ for the crash, which occurred on October 29 at around 7 p.m., six months to the day after his older brother Josh, who is currently in jail after being found guilty of possessing and receiving child pornography, was arrested.
While no one was injured, there was ‘substantial’ damage to the plane and John David called 911.
The crash was confirmed by The Humphreys County Sheriff’s Department and the 911 dispatched confirmed that John David was flying and was also the one to place the call.
He said that due to the double engine failure, he had to land his Piper PA-30 plane in a field in Waverly, Tennessee.
However, a spokesperson for the local sheriff’s department told The Sun that John David actually just ran out of gas.
‘A family from Arkansas ran out of fuel and landed in a field,’ they said.
The Sun also reported that the six-seat plane was only in the air for five minutes when it came down.
The National Transportation Safety Board has an open investigation into the incident.
People also reports that the plane was registered to Medic Choppers, LLC. and belonged to Medic Corps, a non-profit organization that deploys ‘teams of cross-trained rescuers to both foreign and domestic mass-casualty situations.
The organization is not affiliated with the Medicorp.
John David is Medic Corps’ Director of Business, while Nathan Bates of the TV show Bringing Up Bates is its Director of Operations.
John David and his passengers may have been in Tennessee visiting Nathan Bates prior to their crash-landing.
Less than a week before, on October 23, Nathan Bates married Esther Keyes in a ceremony with 350 guests.
John David has been a pilot for years and worked planes into both his proposal to Abbie and their pregnancy announcement
If John David did, in fact, run out of gas, it was a careless mistake for someone who has been flying for years — and has been quite vocal about his love of planes.
In fact, he even proposed to his wife, Abbie, in front of an airplane inside an airplane hangar.
When they announced that they were expecting their first child in 2019, the announcement was also plane-themed.
‘We are on Cloud 9 about welcoming our own little Duggar into the world,’ the couple said, sharing photos of themselves inside a plane.
‘We’re expecting a co-pilot!’ read one announcement, while they also got a onesie that read ‘Baby Passenger On Board.’
In August 2020, Abbie even got her own pilot license.
However, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, Abbie is prohibited from carrying passengers.
John David’s plane crash happened six months to the day after his brother Josh was arrested on federal charges. Josh, 33, is pictured in his mugshot after being found guilty of possessing child pornography
The last few months of 2021 were certainly a difficult time for the Duggar family.
Nearly two months prior to John David’s crash, his twin sister, Jana, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after one of her nieces or nephews reportedly got out of the house unsupervised when she was charged with their care.
She was cited in September 9, and this month pled guilty, paying an $890 fine.
Even more trying, of course, was oldest brother Josh’s trial and conviction on child pornography charges in December.
Josh had been arrested in April of 2021 stemming from a 2019 raid on his used car dealership that turned up a trove of sickening photos and videos of children being abused.
This week, DailyMail.com obtained evidence photos from the raid, as well as audio of his first interrogation by federal agents.
