CEDARVILLE — For the first time since Judah White and his family almost died in a fiery plane crash, Judah agreed to share his story publicly with News Center 7.
He is a junior studying Cyberspace Security at Cedarville University.
News Center 7’s James Brown talked with Judah, who walked him through, moment by moment, from the family’s private plane taking off to his dad saying they were going to crash to a stranger comforting him until medics arrived.
It was his last day of spring break in March of 2025, and Judah’s family had just gotten out of church. There was blue sky as far as the Smith family could see.
“It was a nice day,” Judah said.
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He and his family lived in the area of Lancaster, Pa. His dad, Matt, was a pilot, and he flew his family all sorts of places.
On March 9, the Smith family got into their place and headed towards The Springfield, Beckly Municipal Airport.
On board the plane, Judah’s mom, dad, sister, and a friend planned to take Judah back to Cedarville University to finish up his sophomore year.
During takeoff, everything seemed normal, but then, “a couple of seconds after lifting off the ground, the passenger side door to the front of the plane opened,” Judah said.
He was sitting right next to the door. “I remember reaching over to grab it, and I’m trying to hold it shut while he’s trying to call the tower, turn around, and land,” Judah said.
His dad told air traffic control that he was trying to get back to the airport. “It became clear to my dad that we weren’t going to make it,” Judah said.
He continued by saying we were only in the air for about 30 seconds. “I kind of have memories of realizing, oh, we’re crashing.”
As the plane slammed into the ground, there were a few moments when everything went blank for Judah. “And then walking up and realizing, oh, he crashed, I have to get out.”
He continued, “A few moments later, my dad crawls out behind me. I didn’t see him, but when he came out of the plane, he was on fire, his shirt was on fire.”
The last thing Judah remembered his dad saying to him that day was, “Go get the girls, cause my mom, my sister, and my sister’s friend were still on the plane.”
He turned around and looked at the ball of fire. “I see them coming out of a window and I kind of register, oh, they’re getting out, they’re going to be okay.”
Somehow, all five of them survived. Judah and his dad had severe back injuries. Each had burns on more than 30 percent of their bodies.
Nobody on the ground was injured, and amid all the chaos, there was this stranger’s kindness.
“I remember having, like laying on the lawn in front of the building, and some old lady said, ‘lift up your head, I have a pillow for you,’” he said.
The crash crushed part of his spine. That pain was the worst. And Judah did not know that he first burned his face, hands, and arms.
As Judah and James Brown watched the security video of the crash together, he said he could still remember the plane taking off. How loud and strong the wind was while he struggled to close the plane’s door, and his mom was praying in the backseat.
After Judah arrived at the emergency room that day. He did not remember where his journey took him the next two weeks.
“We got the best deal we could. How do we move forward?” Judah said.
Doctors put Judah in a medically induced coma for two weeks, along with doing back surgery. He got a few skin grafts.
He said his dad’s burns were more severe, especially to his face, and he needs numerous grafts. Both spend time in a special burn unit in Pennsylvania.
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