Girl Who Survived Plane Crash Hoped Family ‘Was Just Sleeping’
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iStock/Thinkstock(KUTTAWA, Ky.) — A 7-year-old girl who survived a plane crash and then trekked nearly a mile through dense woods to get help held out hope that her parents, sister and cousin might somehow have survived, too, police said Sunday.
“She indicated to us that she believed her family was deceased but that she hoped they were just sleeping,” Kentucky State Police Lt. Brent White said. ” I was literally just struck by how calm she was able to and the ability for her to give us this information.”
Sailor Gutzler suffered a broken bone in her wrist in the crash, Kentucky State Police Lt. Brent White said. The girl tried lighting a glow or torch stick to help illuminate her way out of the dense woods where the plane crashed, but the stick failed to light.
White said the girl freed herself from the aircraft and walked about 15 to 20 minutes toward a light coming from the home of Larry Wilkins, who called 911 when she arrived.
“She navigated thick trees, briars, and bushes to get to the home,” said White.
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White added that the girl “was dressed for Florida,” wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt despite the temperature being 38 degrees. The family was headed to their hometown of Nashville, Illinois, at the time.
“She didn’t have very much clothing on at all,” White said.
NTSB investigator Heidi Moats offered no details as to what may have caused the small plane to crash late Friday in Kuttawa, Kentucky. She said she spent several hours at the crash site and said the NTSB planned to remove the wreckage later in the day.
Gutzler’s parents, Marty Gutzler, 48, and his wife Kimberly Gutzler, 46; her sister, Piper Gutzler, 9; and, her cousin, Sierra Wilder, 14, were all killed in the crash.
It’s unclear what caused the crash, but Marty Gutzler reported engine problems before losing contact with air traffic controllers.
Federal Aviation Administration records show that Gutzler was an experienced commercial pilot and certified flight instructor.
The Gutzlers owned a furniture store in Nashville, Illinois. Fred Prug, a family friend, said Marty had made the same trip to Florida before.
“He loved flying,” said Prug. “You didn’t have a conversation with Marty without him talking about flying.”
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