ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaskan senators are moving to pressure federal lawmakers to find a solution to reported outages of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research stations in Alaska through a joint resolution that advanced from a Senate committee on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, senators heard public testimony on Senate Joint Resolution 12, which demands Congress to require that NOAA “ensure the reliability of National Data Buoy Center meteorological/ocean stations,” and take action order to “restore full functionality” of related equipment and the program as a whole.

The call for an assist from the federal government comes as state lawmakers express concerns over safety in Alaska – including for mariners and others in the state – with so many depending upon National Weather Service forecasting programs, including the buoy stations.

Sponsored by Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, multiple iterations of SJR 12 have been proposed, with the resolution asking for specific attention to the subject of buoy research site outages from Alaska’s Congressional delegation, to include addressing the issue within the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2025.

“These buoys provide precise, real-time information on a comprehensive set of weather conditions,” Dunbar explained at a prior hearing on the resolution. “Mariners, fishermen, and the Coast Guard rely on this information to assess ocean conditions.

“The problem is that, in the last five years, the weather buoys have been plagued with service outages,” he continued, adding that a buoy at NOAA Station 46061 – also known as Seal Rocks, in Prince William Sound – is of key importance, given its location between Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands and its role in the safe movement of oil tankers to and from Valdez. “The buoy was out of service all last winter, and the wave height instrument has been out of service all this winter, so the impact is, when the Seal Rocks buoy is out of service, the Coast Guard must rely on spot reports from passing ships, and data from more distant stations to estimate conditions in Hinchinbrook [Island] entrance. And these methods are not precise.”

The U.S. Coast Guard closes the Hinchinbrook Islands entrance, Dunbar explained, when weather conditions at Seal Rocks exceed a windspeed of 45 knots or seas of 15 feet.

“If a tanker lost power or maneuvering in conditions above these thresholds, rescuers would likely not be able to prevent it from grounding,” he added. “A tanker wreck would result in a severe oil spill devastating the local environment fisheries, and tourism.”

At the Senate Transportation Committee hearing Tuesday, Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, confirmed there were no testifiers in attendance in person or over the phone and closed testimony, moving the current version of SJR 12 – with individual recommendations and an attached fiscal note – out of committee. It is unclear when the bill might be taken up next.

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By WILL POTTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: 14:55 GMT, 25 March 2025 | Updated: 16:18 GMT, 25 March 2025

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. 

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‘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 

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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.’ 

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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.  

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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.

Anchorage, Alaska
AP
 — 

A teenager has died after triggering an avalanche, the fourth person killed in snow slides in Alaska this month.

Alaska State Troopers said the body of 16-year-old Tucker Challan of Soldotna was recovered from the avalanche Sunday by the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group.

Troopers said a group of snowmachiners were riding Saturday on the backside of Seattle Ridge in Turnagain Pass, a popular winter recreation area about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Anchorage.

“Witnesses stated that a juvenile male triggered an avalanche and died after being buried,” troopers said in a statement.

Challan was buried about 10-feet (3-meter) deep in the slide that measured about 500 feet (152 meters) wide, said Wendy Wagner, director of the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center.

Conditions are worrisome because a weak layer is located about 3 feet (0.91 meters) beneath the snow surface, with newer snow falling on top of the weak layer.

Challan rode over a weak layer of snow that was buried under newer snow, about mid-slope, Wagner said.

When the slide happened, the center’s staff was conducting an avalanche awareness day in a parking lot on the other side of Seattle Ridge, she said.

“These types of avalanches, they can be triggered when you’re on this slope. They can be triggered when you’re on the bottom of the slope and even the side or the top of a slope, because all you have to do is break that weak layer, and then that weak layer shoots out like dominoes and breaks into the slopes,” she said.

The weak layer can be broken on a flat track, but that wouldn’t cause an avalanche because there is no slope for the snow to come down.

“When we have avalanche conditions like this, as avalanche professionals, we recommend people just stay on slopes that aren’t steep enough to slide, and then they don’t have to worry about triggering an avalanche, and sadly, this person was not in that scenario,” Wagner said. “They were on the edge of the slope and ended up being caught.”

The avalanche center has been warning people of this weak layer for weeks, and there were similar conditions on March 4, when three heli-skiers were killed. That accident happened when they were caught in an avalanche near Girdwood, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Anchorage.

“It’s still unsafe,” Wagner said Monday. “We are still recommending that people stick to the lower angle slopes because this is not something we want to mess with.”