7-Year-Old Girl Survives Kentucky Plane Crash That Killed Her Parents
A seven-year-old girl survived a plane crash Friday evening that killed her parents, sister, and cousin, the AP reports.
The girl was flying with her family from Tallahassee Regional Airport bound for Mount Vernon, Illinois when the plane reported engine trouble and lost contact with air traffic controllers. Her parents, Marty Gutzler (48) and Kimberly Gutzler (46), sister Piper Gutzler (9), and cousin Sierra Wilder (14) died in the crash. All were from Nashville, Illinois.
The girl, whose name has not been released by police, was taken to Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky to be treated for minor injuries. She was released Saturday morning.
According to authorities, the report of engine trouble occurred at 5:55 p.m. on Friday. Approximately thirty minutes later, a resident of rural southwestern Kentucky called 911 after the girl walked nearly a mile from the site of the crash to his house.
“This girl came out of the wreckage herself and found the closest residence and reported the crash,’’ said Dean Patterson, Kentucky State Police Sargent. “It’s a miracle in a sense that she survived it, but it’s tragic that four others didn’t.’’
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety board are investigating why the Piper PA-34 crashed.
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