A seven-year-old girl has walked away from a plane crash in Kentucky that killed four people.
The child left the wreckage of the Piper PA-34 and found a resident of the area surrounding the crash site near Kentucky Lake, authorities said.
The plane reported engine trouble and lost contact with air traffic controllers as it was flying over the southwestern part of Kentucky, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
About half an hour later, a man called police and told dispatchers that a seven-year-old girl had walked to his home and that she had been involved in a plane crash, said Sergeant Dean Patterson of Kentucky state police.
“This girl came out of the wreckage herself and found the closest residence and reported the plane crash,” he 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 was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not said to be life-threatening. Authorities then launched a search for the crash site and confirmed with the FAA that they had received a distress call.
Authorities found the plane in a heavily-wooded area near the lake and discovered four bodies, including the pilot and the three passengers.
The FAA said the plane had taken off from Tallahassee Regional Airport, Florida, and was bound for Mount Vernon, Illinois. Sgt Patterson said the girl indicated that the plane had left from Key West, Florida.
PA