Frank Schubert and Matt Smola were flying a rented single-engine airplane to go skiing and drop off supplies at the Mars Desert Research Station when the accident happened. The men had refueled the plane in Roosevelt, Utah and were heading for Heber City when the aircraft lost power and was hit by a strong downdraft.

"By all recollections, I think we probably dorpped 4,000 feet in 10 seconds," Smola, 36, told the Denver Post.

The two were taken to University of Utah hospital in Salt Lake City. Schubert, Project Manager for the Mars Desert Research Station, suffered a broken wrist and leg. Smola was treated for a sprained ankle, a broken bone in his foot, and cuts on his head, and released.

According to a Mars Society release, Schubert managed to land the plane on open ground. However, the aircraft landed tail first and smashed into the snowy side of a mountain.  Smola was able to pull Schubert out of the plane and keep him warm and awake through the night, during which temperatures dropped to -6 F. According to the Post article, Smola found Schubert's cellphone to be working even on the mountain, and he called 911.

Smola used the plane's lights for a signal beacon, and was able to attract the attention of a helicopter at 5:30 AM CMT, March 16.

"After it was all over, Frank said this to me: "Thank you for saving my life' because of the cold and the condition he was in," Smola told the Post. "But I said to him, "Thanks for saving our lives because if you didn't land that plane the way you did, we both would have been dead.' "