Kentucky plane crash: Girl aged 7 in miracle survival as 4 are killed

A girl aged 7 has miraculously survived a plane crash that killed four people.

The child walked away from the wreckage and to the home of a nearby resident, who she told about the incident. She was said to be in distress but otherwise uninjured.

Homeowner Larry Wilkins, 71, told NBC he found a barefoot "little girl bleeding pretty badly" standing at his door.

He said: "She told me that her mom and her dad were dead, and she was in a plane crash, and the plane was upside down."

"She asked if she could stay here. I got a wash cloth and cleaned her up. And of course called 911."

"I felt so sorry for her, tears come to my eyes. Brave little girl."

Kentucky State Police said those killed in the crash were Marty Gutzler, 49, and Kimberly Gutzler, 45, their 9-year-old daughter, Piper Gutzler, and Piper's 14-year-old cousin, Sierra Walder.

Kentucky Police Sgt. Dean Patterson said: "This girl came out of the wreckage herself and found the closest residence and reported the plane crash.

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

Air authorities said the pilot had reported the plane to be having engine difficulties. Radar then lost the jet as it flew over the south-western part of Kentucky.

The Piper PA-34 plane was found near a lake in woods with the bodies of the pilot and three passengers inside.

The little girl was today understood to be recovering in hospital. Her relationship to the other occupants of the plane was not known.

The plane was understood to have been travelling from Florida to Illinois. ...DailyMirror