Publish date: 2023-11-26

Fact check: Brooklyn and Bailey McKnight weren't in a plane crash, but here's how they're connected to the August accident.

Were YouTubers Brooklyn and Bailey McKnight involved in a plane crash? Rumors began circulating that the twins, who have nearly 7 million subscribers on the video-sharing platform, had been involved in a serious accident… but that’s not the case. 

Brooklyn and Bailey weren't in a plane crash — their close friends were.

Four members of the Mikesell family (who also have a YouTube channel and have appeared on Brooklyn and Bailey’s) were injured when the small plane they were traveling in lost power over Utah’s Uinta Mountains on Aug. 7. 

The accident occurred shortly after mom Betsy Mikesell dropped family friend Brooklyn off, which explains why the 20-year-old influencers’ names are connected to the crash. 

Betsy and her twin sons, Brock and Boston, miraculously walked away with relatively minor injuries, but the 39-year-old's husband Gentry suffered a broken tibia, fibula, femur, back, pelvis, nose, and shattered ankle. He also sustained several fractures to his face and teeth.

The plane's pilot and his wife, Shad and Jazlyn Feild, are also recovering after breaking multiple bones. "Shad was our hero, as his quick thinking and amazing flight training literally saved our lives after the plane engine stalled," Betsy wrote underneath a YouTube video that detailed the crash. 

"He shut off the electrical system to help ensure the plane would not explode, avoided landing in the sand which would have flipped the plane, and kept us calm all in a matter of seconds," she shared.

In a post on Instagram, the mother of three (whose daughter Alyssa wasn’t on the plane when it went down) said they had about 12 seconds to grasp what was happening. "Normally I would scream and panic but for some reason calmness came over me and I just looked forward while bracing the seat in front of me," Betsy recalled. 

"Shad was calmly instructing us what to do, while Gentry was telling us everything was going to be ok. I was the first person out of the plane and as I ran around to Gentry’s side of the plane I tried to get him out, but his legs were pinned inside," she explained. 

"I could see people sprinting to help us and I didn’t know where they were coming from… Someone told me that when they saw us coming down it looked like angels were carrying us in. I genuinely felt that way."

Gentry Mikesell was in the hospital for almost a full month.

On Sept. 2, Betsy revealed that her husband had returned home after spending nearly four weeks at Utah Valley Hospital in Provo. "My neighbors and friends decorated the yard and as soon as we pulled up we all started crying," the business owner wrote on Instagram.

"You’d think I’d get lots of pics, but honestly I was so worried about making sure everything was ok for [Gentry] I didn’t take a single picture," she admitted. "I had no idea how many emotions I would feel. But the main one is how grateful I am to have him home!"

Betsy added that all ad revenue made from the family’s Aug. 10 video discussing the ordeal would be put towards Gentry’s medical bills. "Thank you to everyone who has left comments, DM's, etc., wishing us well and a speedy recovery," she stated. "We can feel your prayers!"

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