Dateline: Into The Wild - What happened to MacKenzie Morgan? Disturbing details of the 2013 crash, revisited 

Dateline revisits a story that feels like a miracle pulled straight from the edge of disaster. What happened to MacKenzie Morgan during her solo flight in 2013 was nothing short of terrifying. A young pilot stranded in the wilderness, her plane overturned, and no way to call for help. And yet—against all odds—MacKenzie survived. Safe. Strong. Unshaken.

So, how did this 17-year-old teenager walk away from a crash deep in the Shoshone Forest? And what happened next?

This special Dateline episode looks back at the quiet heroism, the split-second decisions, and the twist of fate that turned a near tragedy into a powerful survival story worth retelling.

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Dateline: Into The Wild - A solo flight turns into a fight for survival

It was supposed to be a training flight routine, focused and structured. As seen on Dateline's episode, MacKenzie Morgan, just 17 at the time, had been navigating a multi-stop solo route that started in Laurel. She was aiming to return that same day after flying through towns like Cody, Powell, and Greybull.

But somewhere after takeoff from Greybull, things began to go wrong. Morgan lost her bearings, flying off course and deeper into unknown terrain. As the sun dipped lower, she found herself boxed in by mountains. She climbed to nearly 8,500 feet, still trying to stay above the jagged landscape.

"I thought I was going to get speared by trees,"

she said later during an interview. The terrain offered no room to turn, no space to course-correct. Her plane's stall horn blared. A gust of wind slammed the left wing. Morgan recalled;

"As soon as that wind blew me, I knew I was going down..."

She mentally prepared herself for what was about to go down, trying to soften the crash.

Dateline reveals that the plane struck the mountain, flipped, and landed upside down. Thanks to her seatbelt and harness, Morgan survived the crash with a sprained knee and a few other minor injuries. But she was alone, in the wilderness, with night coming on fast.

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From wreckage to rescue: What MacKenzie did next

With her radio not picking up any signal and no signs of help nearby, Morgan knew she had to rely on herself. She said;

"I gave up trying to contact anybody and started looking for all my stuff that I would need to survive out there..."

She grabbed her essentials and clicked a few pictures of the crash site, knowing GPS data from those pictures might help rescuers later. Then she recorded a video message for her loved ones, saying she loved them, in case she didn't make it out alive.

But luck hadn't completely run out for her. Just before 6 p.m., two hunters named Nathan Coil and Joshua Alexander were looking through the area on horseback when they saw the plane crash.

Coil rushed to find cellphone service and call for help, and Alexander went straight toward where the plane had crashed.

That's when Morgan, bruised and limping, walked toward him. Her first words:

"Hey, I just crashed my plane."

Alexander replied.

"Yeah, we saw that...We didn't think anyone would survive."

Her knee began to swell, making it difficult to walk. Without hesitation, Alexander lifted her onto his horse and led her toward safety. They made their way to Kirwin, an old mining town, where emergency responders were already on alert and waiting.

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Aftermath and recovery: Strength in the face of fear

According to Dateline, back in Billings, Morgan's mother, Kristy, was waiting in panic. She had no idea where her daughter was or what had happened. She said;

"It was scary...You're blind and you can't do anything."

But her daughter had made it through, with just a few bruises, a swollen knee, and a new understanding of how fragile and precious life can be.

MacKenzie was checked by medics at West Park Hospital in Cody and released soon after.

Despite the crash, her passion for flying hadn't changed. She said;

"I love it...You can't let one really bad occurrence tear you down."

She even expressed her eagerness to get back in the cockpit once she was cleared. Kristy, still in awe of her daughter's bravery, shared;

"We're proud of her for pulling out of that."

Federal officials began working on the crash report, and Morgan cooperated fully.

Whether or not the wrecked plane would be retrieved from the remote site was up to insurance companies. As for Morgan, Dateline says that she walked away not just with scars, but with a stronger faith and a deeper appreciation for every breath she took after that day.

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Dateline's Into The Wild tells the tale of more than just a teenager surviving. This episode looks at the courage and clarity of a teenager who almost came face to face with death. MacKenzie Morgan didn't just live through a plane crash; she lived through it, and most importantly, she also survived.

With no radio, no daylight, and no chances of being saved, she thought quickly, stayed calm, and prepared for the worst outcome. Her story isn't only about aviation gone wrong, but rather it's about how strength can come from the most unexpected places.

This episode of Dateline airs one of those rare moments where instinct, faith, and sheer will turned what could have been a tragedy into a story of hope.

Also read: Dateline: The Night of the New Moon—Who are Weldon McDavid and Diana Lovejoy, and what do we know about their crimes? Details explored

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