‘It’s a miracle’: 7-year-old Nashville girl survives plane crash that killed 4 family members

Described as a “brave little girl,” 7-year-old Sailor Gutzler of Nashville survived a plane crash that killed her parents, sister and cousin Friday night in Kentucky and walked nearly a mile to get help.

The victims were identified as 48-year-old pilot Marty Gutzler; 46-year-old Kimberly Gutzler; their daughter, 9-year-old Piper Gutzler; and her cousin, 14-year-old Sierra Wilder. They are all from Nashville.

“The Gutzler family mourns the loss of Marty, Kim and Piper Gutzler and Sierra Wilder,” read a family statement released by attorney Kent L. Plotner of Nashville. “We are devastated by this loss, but are confident that they rest in God’s loving arms. We ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time. Please pray for us, especially for Sailor Gutzler.”

Sailor is the daughter of Marty and Kim Gutzler. She suffered a broken wrist and was released from a Kentucky hospital early Saturday to a relative.

The small Piper PA-34 reported engine trouble and lost contact with air traffic controllers as it was flying over the southwestern part of Kentucky about 5:55 p.m. CST, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Controllers had been trying to direct the pilot to an airport about 5 to 7 miles from the crash scene, authorities said.

About a half hour later, a Lyon County resident called 911 and told dispatchers that a 7-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. At that point, authorities launched a search for the crash site and also confirmed with the FAA that they had received a distress call.

“She literally fell out of the sky into a dark hole and didn’t have anybody but her own will to live and get help for her family,” Kentucky State Police Lt. Brent White said. “Absolutely amazing.”

Marty Gutzler owned Gutzler’s Furniture in Nashville along with his father.

The Rev. Matthew Wietfeldt, pastor at Nashville’s Trinity Lutheran Church, said those killed — who he’s known for four years — “will be deeply missed.”

“The Gutzlers were a wonderful family and wonderful members of our congregation and community,” Wietfeldt told CNN.

In Nashville, a man stepped outside the family’s white, split-level home on Saturday and politely waved off a reporter.

“Not now,” he said, his head lowered, before he stepped back inside.

The Gutzler family is well-known and well-liked, said neighbor Carla Povolish.

With two basketball hoops in the driveway, the Gutzlers’ home was the center of neighborhood fun on a block full of children.

“All the kids in the neighborhood are just so upset about this,” she said.

Povolish said Piper and Sailor were together constantly.

“That’s what’s going to be so devastating for the little one,” she said.

Larry Wilkins, 71, was watching the local news at his home on Buckberry Trail near Kuttawa in Western Kentucky at about 6:30 p.m. Friday when he said he heard a knock.

“The little girl come to my door,” Wilkins told NBC News. “She was bleeding pretty bad, her legs were bleeding, her face had a bloody nose. She was barefoot, only had one sock on.”

“She told me that her mom and her dad were dead, and she was in a plane crash, and the plane was upside down,” he said. “She asked if she could stay here. I said, ‘Honey, what can I do for you?’ I got a wash cloth and cleaned her up. And of course called 911.”

After Wilkins called 911, police arrived within minutes, he said. “The little girl was so shook up we couldn’t understand much of what she said,” he said.

Wilkins said he wishes he could have done more for the girl before she was taken to the hospital.

“I felt so sorry for her, tears come to my eyes. Seven years old. Brave little girl,” he said.

About two hours later, authorities 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. The bodies were sent to Louisville for autopsies.

The FAA said the plane had taken off from Tallahassee Regional Airport, Fla., and was bound for Mount Vernon. Patterson said the girl indicated that the plane had left from Key West, Fla.

Patterson said it had been raining in the area for most of Friday.

Federal authorities have begun investigating the cause of the crash.

The pastor of a church near the crash site said the area was known for rough terrain and that the conditions Friday were wet due to persistent rain.

“That area is very rough and hilly, very heavily forested with mature trees,” said the Rev. Dean Weber of the Chestnut Oak United Methodist Church in Kuttawa, Ky. “Any plane crash in that area is going to be a severe ordeal.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2015 at 10:42 AM.