When a Dropped Phone Pretended There Was a Plane Crash

The Mix-Up on the Mountain

On Monday afternoon, something funny (but also a little scary) happened near Lake Willoughby in Westmore, Vermont. A person who was walking on Mount Pisgah — a big hill with rocky cliffs — accidentally dropped their phone off a cliff.

Now, some phones are super smart. If they think they were in a crash (like a car or plane accident), they automatically send a help message to emergency workers. This phone thought it might have been in a plane crash and sent an alert all by itself!

Because of that alert, a huge group of helpers rushed to the area, thinking a plane might have gone down.

Who Came to Help? (The Big Response)

More than a dozen different helper groups (like police and fire teams) showed up. They made a meeting spot at a place called the South End Trailhead. Here’s who joined in:

• Police officers and fire crews from many local agencies
• The Vermont Division of Fire and Safety (a team that helps with fires and other dangers)
• The Vermont State Police
• A nearby National Guard helicopter (a military flying machine)
• The hospital in Newport was told to be ready just in case

They used:

• Drones (small flying cameras) from the Fire and Safety team and state police
• A helicopter from the National Guard to look from the sky

Why Was It So Confusing? (No Cell Service!)

The person who dropped the phone didn’t know their phone had called for help. And to make things trickier, they were in a spot with no cell service — that means their phone couldn’t make normal calls or texts.

A police sergeant named Nathan Handy explained it like this:

“They had spoken to some of our resources here, but they didn’t realize it was coming from their phone because they didn’t have service. They just got service in Lyndonville and contact us back and tell us they are fine, there was no emergency, and they were never in a plane.”

So the hiker talked to some helpers on the scene, but because their phone wasn’t working, they didn’t realize the alert came from their own pocket device! Later, when they reached a town called Lyndonville with service, they called the police to say: “Hey, I’m okay! No crash, no plane!”

How Did It End?

Once the police heard from the hiker and knew everyone was safe, they stopped the search. The big response was called off — meaning all the drones, helicopters, and teams went back home.

Step-by-Step: How the Silly Scare Happened

1. A hiker dropped their phone off a cliff on Mount Pisgah.
2. The phone’s crash-detection feature mistakenly thought it was in a plane crash.
3. The phone auto-sent an emergency alert to authorities.
4. Over a dozen agencies rushed to South End Trailhead near Lake Willoughby.
5. Drones and a National Guard helicopter searched; a hospital stood by.
6. The hiker, with no cell service, didn’t know about the alert.
7. Later, with service in Lyndonville, the hiker called police to say all was fine.
8. The search was called off.

Important Callout: If your phone ever sends a wrong emergency alert, try to tell the authorities as soon as you have signal. Also, knowing how your phone’s crash detection works can save everyone a lot of confusion!

Summary

A hiker’s dropped phone near Lake Willoughby triggered a massive fake plane crash response because the phone automatically called for help. Many teams, drones, and a helicopter looked for a crash that didn’t exist. Poor cell service kept the hiker in the dark until they reached town. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the search was stopped. It shows how smart phones can sometimes make silly mistakes!

FAQ

Q1: Why did the phone think there was a plane crash?
Phones with crash detection use sensors to feel big impacts or sudden stops. Falling off a cliff may have felt like a crash, so it sent an alert automatically.

Q2: What is “cell service” and why did it matter?
Cell service is the connection your phone uses to talk to towers for calls and texts. Without it, the hiker couldn’t see the alert or easily call police.

Q3: What does “search called off” mean?
It means the emergency teams stopped looking because they found out there was no real danger.

Q4: Could this happen with my phone?
If your phone has an emergency crash feature (common in newer smartphones), it could mistakenly send an alert if it feels a hard fall. You can usually turn it off in settings.

Q5: Who reported this story?
The local news station WCAX reported it from Westmore, Vermont.

Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.