MIRACLE, Ky. — Four ATV riders didn’t expect to come off of the mountain on Thursday evening as heroes. A plane crash incited them all to action, and they descended Mountain Drive knowing they had saved a life.

According to the riders, around 3:15 p.m. a small plane passed over at a very low altitude, as if the pilot were in trouble and looking for a landing spot. In an instant, the plane again circled, hit a guide wire and crashed to the ground.

Bell County Holler Crawlers ATV Club member Brandon Banks was one of the four ATV riders on Mountain Drive, in the Shillalah area of Bell County, who saw the plane pass over. He and his two riding partners, David Marksbury and David Sprinkles, rushed to the scene in order to extract the pilot from the plane that came to a rest on its top.

“David Sprinkles and I arrived just after David Marksbury and proceeded to try to get the man out of the plane,” Banks said. “He said his name is Emory Hurley. He said he’s from Pikeville. He said he had just left the airport in Middlesboro, and had fueled up there.”

The men joined a lone ATV rider, 19-year-old Tyler Teaney from Hances Creek. Teaney was scouting for coyotes when he came upon the scene.

“This is a blessing from God is what it is,” Teaney said of the coincidence of all of the riders being in the area when Hurley crashed. “What are the chances that all of these riders would be in this vicinity?”

Teaney said that Hurley was hanging upside down, caught in the plane by his seatbelt. Teaney immediately called 911 and proceeded to follow 911’s instructions. Teaney said that Hurley had a deep gash on his head. Teaney used his own shirt to create a compress to stop blood loss. The men worked together to cut the seatbelt and extract Hurley from the plane.

“This man is lucky to be alive. He’s going to make it, but he’s lucky. I’m just glad that we were here to help,” Marksbury said.

Hurley, 65, was piloting a single engine Cessna 150. Although registered to Hurley, a source at the London-Corbin Airport told WVLT-TV in Knoxville that the plane is owned by Mountain Drive Coal Company. He told Kentucky State Police officials that he couldn’t remember what caused the crash and he was the only person onboard.

Emergency responders treated Hurley on scene and he was then transported by helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where officials said he was being treated for multiple injuries.

Kentucky State Police, the Bell County Fire Department, and Bell County Emergency Services responded to the scene, as well as others. Kentucky State Police Trooper George Howard of Post 10 in Harlan is the investigating officer. Troopers Curtis Pingleton and Jimmy Young Jr. also responded to the scene. In addition, Kentucky Utilities was onsite to repair a power line the plane clipped.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the crash.

Brandy Calvert is the Senior Staff Writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. Contact her via e-mail at bmurray@middlesborodailynews.com. Staff Writer Andrea Schneider and Correspondent C.J. Harte contributed to this story.

ATV riders in the area came to the assistance of Emory Hurley after his small plane crashed on Mountain Drive Thursday afternoon. (Daily News photo)