A pilot and two children have been miraculously saved in the Alaskan wilderness a day after their plane crashed on Sunday evening.
The three were found alive Monday on the frozen Kenai Peninsula Lake, around 150 miles south of Anchorage, roughly 12 hours after their Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser aircraft crashed.
Alaska State Troopers said the two children were elementary and middle school ages, however authorities have not yet released the names of those on board.
A stunning image showed the family’s plane crashed through the frozen lake, and the trio were reportedly rescued by Good Samaritans who joined the search after they spotted them on the aircraft’s wing.
Dale Eicher, another member of the search and rescue team, told KTUU that he had just began his own search over the frozen lake when he heard the good news over the radio.
‘I called the troopers immediately because I was still in cell service and I knew it was a really good chance that the guy that had found him was not in cell service,’ Eicher said.
‘I was really shocked. I didn’t expect that we would find them. I didn’t expect that we would find them alive for sure… it doesn’t always turn out this well.’
The three family members were reportedly taken to an area hospital in the Kenai Peninsula, and their injuries were non-life threatening.
A pilot and two children have been miraculously saved in the Alaskan wilderness after the plane they were travelling on crashed on Sunday evening. The trio were seen stranded on the plane’s wing over 12 hours after it crashed
The three were found alive by Good Samaritans who joined the search for their Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser aircraft (pictured), which was found on the frozen Kenai Peninsula Lake
The news of the family’s safe rescue was shared by John Morris, the father of the pilot, who told Alaska’s News Source that he was overjoyed by the discovery.
‘I have air in my lungs again,’ he said.
Morris previously told the outlet that his son and grandchildren had taken off for a sightseeing flight before it dropped off radars on Sunday evening.
The successful rescue was praised by National Transportation Safety Board Western Pacific Region Chief Dennis Hogenson, describing it as ‘remarkable.’
The cause of the crash has not yet been established, and Hogenson said authorities have launched an investigation.
Alaska is known for a high number of small plane crashes as air travel is an essential mode of transportation for residents in the state, where roads often freeze over and flying is the only way of getting to remote towns.
Sunday’s crash comes weeks after Alaska’s airspace was hit with tragedy after 10 people were killed when a small plane plummeted into frozen tundra near the Bering Sea.
Sunday’s crash comes weeks after Alaska’s airspace was hit with tragedy after 10 people were killed when a small plane (pictured) plummeted into frozen tundra near the Bering Sea on February 7
The horror crash unfolded February 7 near the town of Nome, where the 10 victims were found inside the plane after it crash landed.
The pilot was identified as Chad Antill, 34. The remaining victims included Liane Ryan, 52; Donnell Erickson, 58; Andrew Gonzalez, 30; Kameron Hartvigson, 41; Rhone Baumgartner, 46; and Jadee Moncur, 52.
Ian Hofmann, 45; Talaluk Katchatag, 34; and Carol Mooers, 48 were also on the fatal flight.
