How teen who survived Washington plane crash found help
A 16-year-old girl is safe after surviving a plane crash and trekking through the woods for days to get help. Autumn Veatch was flying from Montana to Washington with her step-grandparents on Saturday when their private plane disappeared. The teen says she walked out of the woods two days later near Mazama, Washington.
Veatch's father spoke Monday night outside the hospital where Veatch is being treated in Brewster, Washington, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. He said his daughter told him the plane flew into some clouds over Washington when a mountain face suddenly appeared. The next thing she knew, the plane crashed and caught fire.
"She's been through a lot. And I guess they -- I dunno. I just can't believe she went through all that she did," her father, David Veatch, said.
David calls his daughter's survival a miracle. Veatch said she hiked for two days through the rugged Cascade Mountains after surviving the crash.
"She watches a lot of survival shows with me, so I can't get out and do a lot of the stuff anymore, so I watch it on TV. So 'Survivorman' should be very proud of her," David said.
Veatch was on the white and red Beech 35 Bonanza with her step-grandparents, Sharon and Leland Bowman.
The trio took off from Kalispell, Montana, shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday en route for Lynden, Washington. Two hours and twenty minutes into the flight, the plane disappeared from radar near Omak, Washington. But signals from a passenger's cell phone continued for about half an hour, and Veatch posted a photo to social media during the flight.
Two days later, she was picked up by a passing motorist near a hiking trail and driven about 30 miles to a general store.
"I think her main focus was to get help," Mazama Store employee Rick LeDuc said.
Employees at the Mazama Store treated Veatch and called 911.
"Considering the time she had been out and what had happened to her, she looked remarkably good," LeDuc said.
Officials have been looking for the plane's wreckage and possible survivors since Saturday. But rocky terrain, thick forests and stormy weather have challenged search and rescue efforts.
The status of Veatch's step-grandparents is still unclear, although Veatch's mother posted on Facebook that they didn't make it. Veatch's injuries include non-life threatening scrapes and bruises. Her father said he hopes to have her home Tuesday.