John David Duggar knows that he’s lucky to be alive.
And the same can be said for his wife, Abbie, and the couple’s daughter, Grace.
As previously detailed on this website, the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Department confirmed this week that Duggar actually crashed a plane was flyiing around 7 p.m. on October 29 in Waverly, Tennessee.
According to a 911 dispatcher, John David, called in the crash, citing “double engine failure” before landing the plane in a field.
Thankfully, everyone on board was unharmed.
On Friday, after multiple celebrity gossip outlets reported on this near-tragedy, Duggar and his spouse spoke out about the incident for the first time.
“An emergency landing or any kind of plane crash is a scary thing, but it’s exactly what pilots are trained for,” John David and Abbie said in a statement to Celebuzz, adding:
“We are so thankful for God’s protection, as we all walked away without injuries when this happened last October.”
Concluded the couple to Celebuzz:
“We so appreciate the love and care so many have expressed toward us!”
Based on a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, there was “substantial” damage to the aircraft… and the NTSB’s investigation into what transpired remains open.
We may still learn more about what happened and why.
As for why this information only first came out now?
Many months after the accident?
Observers believe the Duggars tried to cover it up in order not to bring more negative attention to the family amid Josh Duggar’s child sex abuse trial this past fall.
On December 8, Josh was found guilty on two charges and now faces up to 40 years in jail.
John David helps run a non-profit aviation company titled MEDIC Corps, which involves small planes and helicopters delivering relief supplies to areas hit by natural disasters.
The plane he was flying at the time of the accident was registered to his company, which is based in Springdale, Arkansas.
It’s since been confirmed that he was only piloting the vehicle in this case for personal use/reasons.
Abbie, meanwhile, is also a pilot — and aviation plays a major part in the lives of these spouses.
The pair celebrated Abbie’s birthday weekend in April 2021, for example, at an airshow in Lakeland, Florida.
They shared photos of their young daughte sitting in the cockpit of an Air Force plane, as well as his twin sister, Jana Duggar, who joined them for the family trip.
“We had a blast at SUN ‘n FUN in Florida this weekend! What a great birthday!” the Duggars wrote next to their Instagram photos at the time.
Heck, John David and Abbie even posed for their wedding picturres alongside planes — and also announced their pregnancy with Grace in August 2019 while flying.
How so?
While in a cockpit back then, they held up a white onesie that had “Baby Passenger on Board” scrawled across the front.
We’re grateful everyone involved in this crash is okay.
John David, you might recall, really stepped up after Josh confessed in 2015 to having molested his sisters when he was a teenager, and then also admitted to cheating on his wife.
On an episode of 19 Kids and Counting, John David said on air:
“For me, making sure that I’m the man that I need to be, that I’m an example to those all around me … it’s a big load, it’s a big weight upon me now.
“Hey, I’ve got a whole bunch of younger siblings looking up to me and I’ve got to be an example to them, because whatever I am, that’s what they want to be.”
He added on this episode that he grew up admiring his older brother.
But after all this disgusting news came out about Josh?
“One of the toughest things I ever had to tell my older brother was, ‘I don’t want to be like you anymore,'” John David said about seven years ago.