Four die in plane crash but girl, 7, walks away

EDDYVILLE, Ky. — A sevenyear-old girl who survived a plane crash Friday that killed four people walked away from the wreckage and reported the crash to a local resident, authorities said.

The small Piper PA- 34 reported engine trouble and lost contact with air traffic controllers early Friday evening as it was flying over the southwestern part of the state, the FAA said.

About 30 minutes later, a Lyon County resident called 911 and told dispatchers that a seven-year-old girl had walked to his home and said she had been involved in a plane crash, said Sgt. Dean Patterson of the Kentucky State Police.

“This girl came out of the wreckage herself and found the closest residence and reported the plane crash,” Patterson said.

“It’s a miracle in a sense that she survived it, but it’s tragic that four others didn’t.”

The girl was in emotional distress and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Patterson said.

It’s a miracle in a sense that she survived it, but it’s tragic that four others didn’t.

SGT. DEAN PATTERSON

KENTUCKY STATE POLICE

At that point, authorities launched a search for the crash site and also confirmed with the FAA that they had received a distress call.

Authorities later found the crash site in a heavily wooded area near Kentucky Lake, a popular tourist attraction in the state.

They discovered four bodies, including the pilot and the three passengers.

Patterson said the plane had taken off from Key West, Fla., and was headed to Mount Vernon, Ill.