A family of three — including a two-year-old girl — survived a plane crash with only minor cuts and scrapes on Friday after their aircraft’s parachute system lowered them to safety.
According to a statement from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), the incident occurred when the aircraft lost engine power about five minutes after takeoff and crashed into trees near Whitethorn, California.
Deputies were dispatched to a possible crash in the area around 1:15 p.m. after the pilot “observed that the aircraft’s altitude was too low for recovery,” the statement added. He then “deployed the Cirrus Airframe Airborne Parachute System (CAPS) which slowed the aircraft [descent].”
“The parachute carried the aircraft until it eventually crashed into trees in a heavily wooded area of Yellow Road in Whitethorn, CA,” MCSO added.
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The Shelter Cove Fire Department said in a statement posted on Instagram that “Despite the challenging terrain, all three occupants of the aircraft sustained only minor injuries, thanks to the parachute system installed in the aircraft.
“This incident marks the second small aircraft accident that the Shelter Cove Fire Department has responded to in the last two years. Fortunately, both incidents resulted in minor injuries and no fatalities, although two aircraft were destroyed.”
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Shelter Cove Fire/instagram
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“Even with the parachute, the parties involved were very lucky because they suffered only minor injuries,” the statement added.
Photos released by the fire department show the destroyed plane and parachute caught in trees about 30 meters from the ground.
“These are usually the worst possible scenarios. The fact that they only had minor scrapes and scratches is a miracle,” Mendocino County Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Quincy Cromer told KGO-TV.
The media, CBS News and KNTV, confirmed that the passengers – who included two adults aged 38 – were a family. MCSO did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information.
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Shelter Cove Fire/instagram
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Deputies from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, CalFire, Southern Humboldt Tech Rescue and members of the Whale Gulch, Shelter Cove and Whitethorn fire departments assisted in the rescue.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident, MCSO confirmed.
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