John David Duggar has thanked "God's protection" after breaking his silence over an emergency landing he was forced to perform in 2021. The former reality star and his wife Abbie were on board the plane at the time.
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"An emergency landing or any kind of plane crash is a scary thing, but it’s exactly what pilots are trained for," the 32-year-old, the twin brother of Jana, shared. "We are so thankful for God’s protection, as we all walked away without injuries when this happened last October."
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He continued in a statement shared with Celebuzz: "We so appreciate the love and care so many have expressed toward us."
John David is a licensed pilot. Their daughter Grace was not on board.
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The incident took place on 29 October outside Waverly, Tennessee.
The sheriff's department previously shared that the 911 dispatcher alleged John David called in the crash, citing "double engine failure" before landing the plane in a field.
John David and Abbie were both on board
John David was piloting a Piper PA-30 which belonged to Medic Corps, a non-profit organization that deploys aircrafts to provide emergency medical care during mass-casualty disasters. John David is the director of business for the organization.
The crash came in the middle of a tumultuous time for the TV family as weeks prior Jana was charged in Arkansas with a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Jana, 32, has now settled her child endangerment charge outside of court. The alleged violation happened on 9 September and a trial by judge was scheduled for 10 January but after pleading not guilty the former reality star later changed the plea and was fined $880.
Jana settled her child endangerment charge out of court
Weeks after the crash, John David and Jana's older brother Josh was found guilty of being in receipt of child pornography.
A jury spent around four hours deliberating before coming back with their verdict.
The father-of-seven now awaits sentencing; he could be facing 20 years in prison with fines up to $250,000.
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