Definitely miraculous! A 7-year-old, Sailor Gutzler was the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed her parents, sister and cousin when the small plane crashed into the wood as the family were heading back to their hometown in Nashville, Illinois, after returning from a vacation in Florida. 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.
Sailor Gutzler after surviving the plane crash, managed to navigate her way out of the crashed aircraft and then trekked almost a mile through dense woods and rough terrains to seek help hoping that someone will also be able to help her family members to survive too.
According to Kentucky State Police Lt. Brent White, “she indicated to us that she believed her family was deceased but that she hoped they were just sleeping.”
“I was literally just struck by how calm she was able to be and the ability for her to give us this information,” White said
The 7-year-old who was reported to have suffered a broken bone in her wrist during the crash, “was dressed for Florida,” wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt despite the low temperatures being about 38 degrees.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Heidi Moats said on Sunday that Sailor is “one remarkable young lady,” and she might be able to provide assistance in identifying what led to the crash. Since it is often rare for someone to survive a small plane crash, Moats said they would have to talk to Sailor about it. “Having someone that is a witness (is) always helpful in the investigation, it gives us kind of a story line,” Moats said.
What was left of the plane has been removed from the site and taken to another location where it can be further inspected. It was also mentioned that a preliminary report will be issued by the agency in about 10 days.
