Young Girl Uses Survival Skills, Walks Away from Plane Crash

There’s nothing I love more than hearing a story of a young person using survival skills in a real world situation.

This news story happened back in January, but was recently brought to our attention.

Sailor Gutzler was the sole survivor after her family’s Piper twin-engine aircraft landed upside down in a wooded area in Lyon County on Friday, leaving her parents, sister and cousin dead. The plucky girl emerged from the plane, lit a stick from the burning wing and then — bloodied and with broken bones — walked through the cold darkness, her family said Saturday.

The strong-willed second-grader trekked three-quarters of a mile through the woods and a creek before she knocked on a homeowner’s door for help.

Her father, Marty Gutzler, 48, was flying the aircraft in “inclement weather” when he made a distress call at about 5:55 p.m. CT Friday, Kentucky State Police said during a briefing Saturday. The four members of the Gutzler family and a 14-year-old cousin were returning from a Christmas vacation in Key West, Florida, to their home near Mount Vernon in southern Illinois.

Click here for the full story and video.

This story truly shows how important it is to teach survival skills to the younger generation.

Not only is it a great bonding activity…but if the worst happens, it could actually save their life.

If you love your kids and grandkids, start teaching them these survival skills early and often. Make sure they know the basics of how to start a fire, find food, and take shelter from the elements. Practice these skills often on camping trips and even in your own home. Make sure you have a family emergency plan and go over it with them frequently.

Then and only then, can you be sure that your kids will be able to fend for themselves should they ever need to.

To learn more about survival skills, check out these articles below:

Do You Know These 25 Native American Survival skills?

Survival Skills | The Psychology of Staying Alive

The 21 “Old World” Survival Skills You’ll WISH You Knew Before TSHTF