John David Duggar, the former “19 Kids and Counting” star, is breaking his silence over the terrifying plane crash he was involved in last year.
The pilot, who is 32, was operating a Piper PA-30 aircraft registered to Medic Choppers, LLC, on Oct. 29, 2021, when the plane went down in Waverly, Tennessee, around 7:13 p.m. local time, according to a preliminary accident report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) obtained by Fox News Digital Wednesday.
Duggar serves as director of business for the Medic Corps nonprofit organization tasked with deploying aircraft and emergency medical care during mass casualty incidents.
The report indicated that two other unnamed passengers were aboard the aircraft and that no injuries were reported despite “substantial” damage to the plane.
John David Duggar was involved in a plane crash in October 2021. He is seen here with his wife Abbie.
(TLC)
The former reality star and his wife, Abbie, who is also a pilot, spoke out about the terrifying ordeal in a statement on Friday.
“An emergency landing or any kind of plane crash is a scary thing, but it’s exactly what pilots are trained for,” the couple said to Celebuzz.
“We are so thankful for God’s protection, as we all walked away without injuries when this happened last October,” their statement continued. “We so appreciate the love and care so many have expressed toward us!”
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A full investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
The Duggar family is known for their former “19 Kids and Counting” TV show on TLC.
(Photo by D Dipasupil)
Meanwhile, the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to People magazine that “a family from Arkansas” was involved in the accident and that Duggar told an emergency dispatcher that the Piper PA-30 aircraft he was piloting experienced a “double engine failure.”
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The outlet cited FAA records in its report that the former “19 Kids and Counting” star obtained his flight instructor certification in the summer of 2021 and earned his commercial pilot license in November.
The Duggars were engaged in an airport hangar surrounded by planes, and they later shared wedding photos of themselves on a tarmac.
The crash came a short time before John David’s older brother, Josh Duggar, stood trial on child pornography charges. Josh pleaded not guilty but was convicted on the charges. He is facing up to 20 years in prison.
Fox News’ Julius Young contributed to this report.