Author Damian Fowler discusses one family's quest after a tragic plane crash

It was meant to be a cheerful summer outing to a family celebration. In August 2003, two little girls -- Grace and Lily Pearson -- got into a small plane in Duluth with their mother and their uncle, the pilot.

They were on their way to a birthday party at the family cabin near the Canadian border. The weather was threatening, and the plane crashed in the forest, not far from Grand Marais.

The two adults in the plane were killed, but remarkably, the little girls survived.

More than a decade later, a new book looks back at that crash. It looks at the girls' recovery and their father Toby Pearson's crusade to change aviation liability laws.

Damian Fowler is the author of "Falling Through Clouds." He joined MPR News' Tom Crann to talk about his book.