‘Shoutout to the pilot’: Hero pilot manages to crash land plane on Wisconsin golf course skidding to the third hole saving three people and all 53 rescue dogs on board
- Only ‘bumps and scrapes’ were reported among the 53 brave animals
- Some of the dogs were playing in the snow shortly after being rescued
- The dogs were being transported to an animal shelter to be put up for adoption
- The plane reportedly lost one of its engines as it was just six miles from its destination
- Both wings came off the plane after it uprooted a tree on the golf course
- Shelter’s phones ‘haven’t stopped ringing’ since with adoption offers
An airplane with three people and 53 rescue dogs on board crashed onto a Wisconsin golf course amid heavy snow on Tuesday, with all passengers and animals miraculously surviving.
Fortunately, no major injuries were reported following the crash, with some of the dogs even playing in the snow shortly afterwards.
Workers at the course witnessed the plane crashing down between two trees on the fifth green, before it skidded towards the third hole and came to a stop after its wings were taken off by a tree it had uprooted.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said the plane was flying from New Orleans to transport the 53 dogs to the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha (HAWS) in Wisconsin when it lost one of its engines.
With a distance of over 1,000 miles between the two locations, the crash happened just under six miles from the flight’s destination of Waukesha County Airport.
A plane that crashed carrying three people and 53 dogs sits near the third hole of a Wisconsin golf course on Tuesday
Dogs that were rescued from the plane on Tuesday sit on their crates on the Western Lakes Golf Club course
First responders found the twin-engine plane around the third hole of Western Lakes Golf Club after it crashed near the fifth hole
A worker at Western Lakes Golf Club in Delafield told the newspaper that after seeing the plane skidding ‘around a few hundred yards,’ he and his co-workers immediately went to the aid of the plane’s passengers.
After pulling the three people from the plane and gathering the crated dogs, rescue teams were called, arriving just minutes later.
‘I’m just happy we were able to help any way we could and glad we were on (the) scene quickly and were able to provide some assistance,’ golf club manager Jason Hoelz told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
HAWS employees, who were awaiting the plane’s arrival at the nearby airport, were also called, with the organization praising the quick action of the golf club staff.
A spokesperson said that only ‘bumps and scrapes’ were reported among its dogs, which are all rescues that will put up for adoption.
‘All are doing remarkably well,’ Maggie Tate-Techtmann of HAWS said.
‘We are so grateful to the staff at Western Lakes Golf Club who were wonderful to work with and for the emergency response teams in Waukesha and for our team and how they responded.
‘I tell them all the time to be prepared for the unexpected, and the team did a remarkable job meeting the needs of these dogs today. Some are already out having fun in the snow and are on the road to finding their forever homes.’
After the story was first reported on Tuesday, HAWS told The Independent its phones ‘haven’t stopped ringing all day’ with people offering donations and inquiring about adopting.
‘We have had so many people that have inquired about adopting, or is there some way they can help with donations, or come in to help with the dogs – bringing in towels and toys and treats and that kind of thing,’ a spokesperson told the publication.
‘Our faith in humanity has been restored because of the care and compassion that we’ve seen today.’
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