We know there is nothing as powerful as a parent's love, something we're reminded of as a family in Michigan marks the anniversary of a father's brave final act that saved his daughter's life. Laney Perdue of Gaylord, Michigan, was the sole survivor of a commuter plane crash that happened in November 2021 but was spared thanks to the hug her father gave her as their plane hit the ground.
"I'm alive because of him,” she told People magazine in a 2022 interview.
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The flight to Beaver Island was only meant to take 20 minutes.
Laney and her father, 43-year-old Mike Perdue, got on the plane on November 13, 2021, to visit with a family friend. Mike even had a big hunting trip all planned out.
"I was so excited," Laney recalled to People.
Laney’s mom, Christie, told the magazine that Mike was affectionate as he said goodbye to the rest of their family before they left, including Laney’s 8-year-old sister, Addie, and her twin brothers, Henrik and Bo, 2.
"He gave me this huge hug, let go for a minute and then squeezed me super tight again," the mom remembered. "Mike is known for his bear hugs."
In fact, Laney could even recall her dad holding her once they were on the plane and in the air, about 1:30 p.m.
She remembered she was looking out "one of those little windows and seeing the grass and feeling my dad's arm around me," she said.
But then, things took a turn for the worse.
A statement later released by the Federal Aviation Administration noted that although the plane was descending to land, something went awry and led to a tragic result, Inside Edition reported.
"I felt this feeling in my stomach like the plane just dropped," Laney told People, "and my dad had his feet out like he was bracing for something."
'The last thing I remember is my dad giving me the tightest hug ever,' she recalled.
The plane crashed about 1:47 p.m. The plane’s pilot, William Julian, 55, died on impact as did husband and wife Kate Leese, 35 and Adam Kendall, 37, and their two beloved dogs.
Mike and Laney were alive when paramedics arrived, and they were airlifted to McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey.
Laney had 11 broken bones and injuries to her lip and mouth.
Her dad, however, reportedly died from his injuries not long after arriving at the hospital. First responders at the scene credit Mike’s bear hug with saving his daughter’s life.
Christie recalled arriving at the hospital and immediately looking for Laney.
"I grabbed her hand and she squeezed mine," Christie told People. She soon realized that Laney wasn't aware of her dad's death.
"I was like, 'Hey, Mom, where's Dad?'" Laney remembered. "I was freaking out because I didn't know there had been a crash. It was scary."
The mom chose not to tell Laney the full details until after she was safely transferred to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
But the news was still painful.
"I wanted to make sure he was OK, I kind of knew he had passed, but I wasn't sure," Laney said. "I just broke down crying."
As a show of strength and a way to honor her dad, Laney vowed that she would walk at his funeral. She was using a wheelchair after having surgery on her jaw and foot, but she slowly worked her way up to crutches.
By her dad’s funeral on December 11, she was able to hobble up to Mike’s casket using crutches.
She told People her father was "the best girl dad" and praised him for celebrating “the little moments in life" with his family.
"Every day he would wake up and be like, 'You guys are beautiful. You guys are special,'" the daughter recalled. "He was amazing."
A GoFundMe page raised more than $180,000 toward Mike’s funeral costs — showing the power of the Perdues' community and the lives their story has touched.
Christie and her kids have decided to keep Mike's memory alive by maintaining a notebook where they can write down memories of him.
They’ll even return to Beaver Island, a treasured family spot.
"Years ago, he said, 'Promise me if something ever happens to me, you keep coming to the island with the kids,'" Christie explained. "It's the greatest tragedy and the greatest joy. We lost Mike, but we kept Laney."
"I'm so sad," Laney admitted, "but I know Dad would want us to be OK. He would want us to live."
