Authorities confirmed Wednesday morning that a tiny plane carrying three people crashed into the summit of a secluded mountain in southern Vermont.

A Piper PA-28 crashed at approximately 3:50 am close to the 3,000-foot summit of Equinox Mountain, just west of Manchester, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

At a press conference, Jamie Greene, the Manchester Fire Department’s first assistant chief, stated, “The snow helped cushion the fall.”

At 8:33 a.m., the pilot reported the incident to 911, stating that all three passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The reason for the hours-long lag between the crash and the call to the police is still unknown. Read more below