A parachute saved a family from death in a plane crash (4 photos)

On March 8, a Cirrus SR22 light aircraft en route from Nevada to California crashed. The couple and their two-year-old daughter were miraculously saved thanks to an emergency parachute system.





The husband and wife, both 38, and their infant daughter escaped with only minor cuts and abrasions. Rescuers found them at the crash site near the village of Whitehorn in California.



The plane, a 2004 Cirrus SR22, took off from Shelter Cove Airport to Santa Rosa, where the family lives, authorities said. In the skies over California, the plane's engine failed.

"The pilot began to investigate the loss of power, but noticed that the aircraft was rapidly losing altitude," the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.





The man activated the emergency system, and the parachute slowed the aircraft's fall.

The plane landed in trees in a densely wooded area.

“It appears this was a last ditch attempt to escape,” commented Sheriff Quincy Cromer.

Fire chief Nick Pape added: "The chances of survival without a parachute were slim."

He added that the family had left the plane by the time services arrived on the scene.



Shelter Cove authorities noted that this is the second light aircraft crash in the area in the past nine months in which all passengers survived.

So, the plane crashed into the ocean, but two victims made it to shore with the help of rescuers.