Autumn Veatch Tried To Save Grandparents From Burning Plane

Autumn Veatch tried to save her grandparents. That is what the teen, who survived a horrific plane crash, is now revealing.

According to a previous report by the Inquisitr, Autumn, 16, was traveling with her step-grandparents, Leland and Sharon Bowman, on a Beech A-35 aircraft in Washington State when trouble hit. Their plane, headed from Montana to Washington, ended up crashing after it passed through a “bank of clouds” and landed deep into Washington’s Cascade Mountains.

Veatch’s family members reported them missing when their plane did not arrive as scheduled. Shortly thereafter, search and rescue teams set up a search effort near the North Cascades National Park. However, they did not find any sign of the wreckage or the three people on board.

Although the plane did catch fire, Autumn somehow managed to survive, in what can only be described as a miracle. She ended up walking for “a couple of days” in what was called a “thickly forested” mountainous area. On Monday, Autumn was picked up by a motorist and taken to a general store in a town close by. Paramedics were later called and transported her to a nearby hospital. Autumn was later listed as being in stable condition, and under the circumstances, she suffered minimal injuries.

Sole survivor: “I was certain I was going to die.” http://t.co/OeNACklVJq @sarasidnerCNN @CNN #AutumnVeatch pic.twitter.com/H2jvzScDVn

— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) July 16, 2015

Now, for the first time since the accident, Autumn is opening up about how she heroically tried to save her grandparents from the plane erupting in flames. During an interview with CNN, Veatch relived the terrifying ordeal, recalling the screams of her grandparents as they cried for help.

“I got out. There was fire. That’s how my face got burned. My hair was burning… And — my immediate response was to go and try to help them out. Because they were alive. They were alive. They were both screaming,” she said.

Because her grandmother was on the other side of the plane, she tried to first save her grandfather, hoping her grandmother would follow them to safety. However, despite her desperate attempts, she was not able to pull him out.

“That’s what happened to my hand. I was trying to pull them out and I just couldn’t do it. There was too much fire and I’m a small person… I was trying, but there was a point – it’s just not happening,” she said.

According to Click2Houston, the plane wreckage was eventually found, extensively burned, with Autumn’s grandparents still inside.

Autumn, who once claimed to be a very negative person, said she has a newfound respect for life.

“This really gave me a newfound respect for life,” she said. “I have never loved being alive more.”

[Photo via Facebook]