In 'Miracle,' 2 Men Walk Away From Missouri Plane Crash

Two men are counting their blessings after a close call in Missouri, where a small plane crash-landed into a tree line near Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Authorities say the incident happened around 6pm Tuesday as the plane was returning to the airport in Chesterfield, a St. Louis suburb, KSDK reports. Monarch Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Jim McKay said the pilot deployed a parachute, which helped slow the descent and glide the plane into the trees. Remarkably, both occupants emerged uninjured.

McKay says the pilot wasn't sure what the problem was, but it may have been a mechanical failure. The fire marshal tells KMOV that the plane was 1,300 feet up when it began descending. "I was surprised there was a parachute. They're very fortunate," McKay says. A woman who knew the men rushed over and embraced them after the crash. "They got up and walked away, so today was a miracle," said Chesterfield Councilwoman Merrell Hansen, per KSDK. "I haven't talked with the family but they're fine, everybody's OK." Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation.