Autumn Veatch, 16, couldn't tell the 911 operator where in the Washington state wilderness the small plane went down. Somehow, she survived; her grandparents apparently didn't.
Covered in burns and bruises, Autumn hiked out of the rugged North Cascades Mountains two days after Saturday's crash, police said.
She flagged down a passing motorist, who drove her to a store in Mazama, Washington, near the Canadian border. The man called police before handing Autumn the phone.
"So tell me exactly what happened," the dispatcher told the girl, according to a transcript of the call.
"I was riding from Kalispell, Montana, to Bellingham, Washington, and ... well, I don't know where, but we crashed and I was the only one that made it out," Autumn said calmly and in a low voice. Autumn was flying with her grandparents, Leland and Sharon Bowman, in a small private plane when it apparently ran into trouble.
Jessica Jerwa, a spokeswoman for the Washington Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, told CNN she called Autumn's father, David, with news of her survival.
"It was incredible for me to be able to give that information," she said. "I have a 16-year-old son myself."
David Veatch had been napping at the time.
"He was still a little sleepy when I told him that Autumn walked out and that she was safe," Jerwa recalled. "He just sort of paused and took a moment, and then just went, 'What?'"
Autumn's friend Chelsey Clark said the girl slept part of the day but seemed to be in good condition. Autumn left the hospital late Tuesday, hospital spokeswoman Melanie Neddo said.
"It is a miracle what happened. We never gave up hope and we just felt like she was still with us," Clark said. "It's absolutely amazing to see her in good spirits."
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