A pilot who was seriously injured in a December 28 plane crash near Parsons says he feels lucky to be alive.
26-year-old Michael Ribordy of New Strawn has been recovering following the accident in which his small plane clipped a power line on approach to an airstrip near Parsons, causing it to nose into the ground. Ribordy was on his way from Coffey County to meet up with some friends a few days after Christmas when the crash occurred.
Some of those friends were on the ground at the private airstrip and witnessed the plane crash. They rushed toward the shattered plane, thinking their friend was dead. They found Ribordy critically injured, but alive. Ribordy suffered a broken arm and broken jaw and woke up in a Kansas City hospital days later.
Ribordy says he should have died in the crash but is thankful to have the chance to be reunited with his wife and to have the chance to see their 3-month-old son grow up. However, Ribordy does plan to return to flying after his recovery is complete.
