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Teenage girl survives US plane crash and walks for days to safety Teenage girl survives US plane crash and walks for days to safety
(about 3 hours later)
A driver has picked up a teenage girl who survived a small plane crash in a mountainous area of Washington state, according to authorities. A US teenager who survived a plane crash in the craggy, thickly forested mountains of north-central Washington state emerged from the wilderness after hiking “for a couple of days” and was picked up by a motorist who drove her to safety, authorities have said. But the fate of her two step-grandparents, who were also on board, remained unclear.
Crews had been searching for the plane with three on board after it failed to reach its destination. The girl managed to walk to a trailhead where she was picked up by a motorist and brought to a store in Mazama, Washington state, said the Okanogan county sheriff, Frank Rogers. Family members alerted authorities when the Beech A-35 light plane failed to complete its flight from Kalispell, Montana, to Lynden, Washington state, on Saturday afternoon. Rescuers narrowed down a search area based on cellphone data and typical flight patterns. But there was no sign of the aircraft or its occupants until Autumn Veatch, 16, followed a trail to Highway 20, near the east entrance to North Cascades national park.
The girl had been “walking for a couple of days”, Rogers said. She was being taken to a local hospital and seemed to be in stable condition. Rogers would not comment on the status of the other two people who had been on the plane. A motorist picked her up on Monday afternoon and drove her 30 miles east to a general store in Mazama, where employees called 911. The Aero Methow Rescue Service sent a paramedic team to check her out before she was taken to a hospital in Brewster for treatment of what appeared to be minor injuries, said Cindy Button, director of services at the organisation.
Officials had identified those on board as Leland and Sharon Bowman of Marion, Montana, and their 16-year-old step-granddaughter, Autumn Veatch, of Bellingham, Washington state. Local media named the survivor as Autumn Veatch and said she had minor injuries and burns. “Our initial information is she sustained no life-threatening injuries and is somewhat dehydrated due to being out in the elements,” said Scott Graham, chief executive officer at Three Rivers hospital. The girl was being evaluated on Monday evening, he said.
“We’re not going into the status of the grandparents. She was the only one who walked out,” Rogers told the Associated Press on Monday afternoon. “She just said they came out of the clouds and it crashed.” Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said she had been “walking for a couple of days”. He declined to comment on the status of the other two people who had been on the plane.
The Beech A-35 left Kalispell, Montana, about 1pm on Saturday headed for Lynden, Washington state. Family members notified authorities when the plane did not arrive. Serena Lockwood, the manager at the Mazama Store, said the girl and a motorist came in on Monday afternoon. “She was obviously pretty traumatized,” Lockwood said.
Five aircraft had been flying over a rugged, mountainous area of Washington state on Monday searching for the small private aircraft. Rescuers celebrated Veatch’s survival but immediately returned their focus to finding the wreckage, aided by Veatch’s description of the crash site, said Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Lustick of the Civil Air Patrol. Lustick said he could not confirm any details about the condition of the grandparents, Leland and Sharon Bowman of Marion, Montana.
The plane crossed the Idaho-Washington border about 2.20pm on Saturday but dropped off the radar near Omak, Washington state, about an hour later, transportation officials said. “We’re so happy about this,” Lustick said. “I’ve spent 30 years in the Civil Air Patrol and in search and rescue. Moments of joy like this can be hard to find.”
The last phone signal from one of the plane’s occupants was detected around 3.50pm. Lustick said he had spoken with Veatch’s father, who said his daughter told him the plane crashed and caught fire after flying into a bank of clouds. She remained at the crash site for a day before deciding to hike down, eventually finding a trail and following it to the trailhead on Highway 20.
The search was focused on “some of the toughest mountainous terrain in the state”, said Civil Air Patrol spokeswoman Julie DeBardelaben. Five aircraft equipped with special radios for detecting the missing plane’s emergency locator beacon had been searching the mountains on Monday along with ground crews, officials said.
The plane crossed the Idaho-Washington border about 2.20pm on Saturday but it dropped off the radar near Omak, Washington state, about an hour later, transportation officials said. The last phone signal from one of the plane’s occupants was detected around 3.50pm.
The Civil Air Patrol’s cell phone forensics and radar analysis teams were analysing clues left by the phones that were on board.
“These grids contain some of the toughest mountainous terrain in the state,” Civil Air Patrol spokeswoman Julie DeBardelaben said.
The Associated Press contributed to this reportThe Associated Press contributed to this report