The Baltimore-area man piloting a small plane that went down Wednesday on a snowy peak in Vermont “walked away” from the crash with he and his two adult children suffering only minor injuries.

“It’s a miracle we’re alive,” John Murphy, 54, told The Banner in a brief phone interview.

Nearly 100 first responders worked to rescue Murphy and his children from the summit of Mount Equinox, near Manchester, Vermont, struggling at first to reach them because of several feet of snow, officials said. Ultimately, responders airlifted the trio to a hospital.

Murphy said his 25-year-old daughter “miraculously doesn’t have a scratch on her,” while his 24-year-old son suffered “severe whiplash” and received staples in his head. Murphy himself broke a bone in his hand and experienced “a little bit of whiplash.”

Murphy owns the fixed-wing, single-engine Piper aircraft that took off from Martin State Airport in Baltimore County and crash landed in Vermont, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. The address listed for Murphy in FAA records is a tire shop in northern Anne Arundel County, though his connection to the business was not immediately clear.

Officials in Vermont said the FAA will be on-site Friday to investigate the crash.

Describing the incident as terrifying, Murphy said he was meeting aviation and National Transportation Safety Board investigators in Vermont.

“I’ve already agreed to work with the NTSB to prevent other pilots from making the same piloting decisions I made,” Murphy said.

Emergency officials said heavy snow and open terrain near the peak likely prevented serious injuries. They also reflected on the harrowing rescue.

“There’s really no way you can train to this point,” said Jamie Greene with the Manchester Fire Department. “It’s just one of them things you just kinda have to go with the flow because you can train all you want. The biggest thing is manpower and all-terrain vehicles.”

Martin State Airport

Martin State Airport, located in Middle River, is open to the public and is also used by corporate, private, law enforcement and military aircraft.

On Wednesday, airport officials said Maryland’s Board of Public Works approved a $22.2 million contract to replace the aging air traffic control tower at Martin State Airport.

The current air traffic control tower has been in use for more than 80 years. Officials said the new tower will increase safety and efficiency.

The new location and design of the tower will use the latest tech and safety features to provide air traffic controllers with better visibility and improved communication.

Series of plane crashes

The plane crash in Vermont comes after a recent series of crashes that have raised concerns about the safety of flying for many Americans.

In January, 67 people died after an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in the air over Washington, D.C. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, prompting recovery efforts.

A young figure skater, a coach, a Howard University professor, some friends on a hunting trip and members of a local union were among the Marylanders who died in the crash.

Two days later, a plane crash in Philadelphia killed seven people.

A few weeks after the crashes, the Trump administration began firing several hundred FAA employees, including safety inspectors, maintenance mechanics and administrative staff.

In mid-February, a Delta Air Lines jet made a crash landing and flipped upside down on the runway at an airport in Canada. There were 21 people injured, and no deaths were reported. The flight took off from Minnesota.

Two days later, two people died after two small planes crashed midair in Arizona.

Despite the recent aviation incidents, experts told WJZ that flying remains safe due in part to strict FAA guidelines and rigorous crew training.

“They go through exhaustive scenarios to, to protect passengers. I think that you can have the confidence when you step on a plane,” said Sean Cudahy, aviation reporter with “The Points Guy.”

WJZ is a media partner with The Banner.