MIRACLE

11-Year-Old Girl Is Sole Survivor of Plane Crash That Killed Four Others

The girl’s father was among those who died when their twin-engine Britton-Norman BN-2 crashed landing on Beaver Island on Lake Michigan.

An 11-year-old girl miraculously survived a small plane crash that killed her father and three others during a landing attempt on Beaver Island in upper Lake Michigan. The child, whose name and condition have not been released, was traveling with her father, named as realtor Mike Perdue, a couple traveling with them identified as Kate Leese and Adam Kendall, and the pilot, whose name has not been released. The four passengers and pilot had taken off shortly after 1 p.m. from Charlevoix, Michigan, in a twin-engine Britton-Norman BN-2 commuter aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. A Coast Guard helicopter crew training in the area was able to quickly airlift the girl and a man who initially survived to McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital. The man later died from his injuries. The Coast Guard team said they had to perform chest compressions on the child, but that she survived. The FAA is investigating the incident.