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Frightening news out of Arkansas today, as amateur pilot John David Duggar has reportedly crashed his single-engine airplane.
Insiders say John David’s wife, Abbie Burnett, and his daughter, two-year-old Grace, were both on board at the time of the crash.
Fortunately, all three parties survived and are reportedly without serious injuries.
John David obtained his pilot’s license in 2012, and father Jim Bob helped him purchase a plane for the family’s use in 2020.
News of the crash comes to us courtesy of YouTuber Katie Joy of the Without a Crystal Ball vlog.
“John David was allegedly flying with his wife and daughter on the date of the crash,” Joy writes on Instagram.
“The plane, which John acquired in July of 2020, crashed outside of Waverly, Tennessee.”
Crucial details such as the altitude at the time of the crash remain unknown.
Joy notes that despite the fact that he’s been licensed for several years and his father helped him buy his own plane, John David remains a rather inexperienced flier.
She writes that “the plane had only been flown 8 times after John David purchased the plane.”
Joy adds that John David has blamed the crash on a technical malfunction.
“He’s allegedly told people that the fuel gage was not working. He believed he had more fuel than was in the tank,” she writes.
It does not appear that anyone aboard the plane was seriously injured.
However, at least one passenger has reportedly suffered trauma as a result of this harrowing incident.
“The crash has allegedly left Abbie shaken up,” Joy writes.
“My source claims that Abbie doesn’t want to fly anymore with John.
Jim Bob has purchased several small aircraft over the years.
A 2018 report from In Touch described the Duggars as owning a “fleet” of planes.
The patriarch has since sold off at least plane, however.
It’s believed that he did so as a cost-cutting measure amid the numerous scandals that threatened his business empire in recent years.
However, Joy suggests that Jim Bob sold the family’s largest plane as he was not confident in John David’s ability to pilot the aircraft.
“This could be why Jim Bob recently sold their large multi-engine plane,” Joy writes.
“John David is the only of his son’s that is licensed to fly the plane.”
That last point might not be true, as several other Duggar men, including Josiah, have pursued pilot’s licenses in recent years.
In 2021, it was rumored that Abbie was training to earn her license, much to the chagrin of Jim Bob, who apparently believes that women should not be permitted to fly planes.
Jim Bob’s decision to amass a small fleet of aircraft has long been viewed as his way of sending a message about both his personal wealth and his commitment to independence.
The Duggars believe that it’s their religious duty to amass a fortune, as doing so allows them to interact with the sinful secular world as little as possible.
Seemingly innocuous acts such as flying commercial are viewed by Jim Bob as requiring dangerous contact with a world that’s destined for damnation.
Unfortunately for the patriarch and his absurd belief system, Josh Duggar’s conviction on child pornography charges has severely hampered the Duggars’ self-sufficiency.
In addition to Josh’s extravagant legal fees, the scandal led to the cancelation of Counting On, the reality show that had served as the Duggars’ primary source of income for the past several years.
The plane that John David crashed, a four-seat Cirrus, is valued at roughly $760,000, but it’s possible that Jim Bob saved money by buying a used model.
It seems unlikely that the Duggars will be able to replace the craft if it was damaged beyond repair.
But then again, Jim Bob has surprised us before with the insane amount of cash to which he seems to have access.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
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