Man and 2 Children Found Alive During 'Miracle' Rescue 12 Hours After Plane Crashes on Frozen Alaska Lake (2025)

A man and two children have been found alive after their small plane crashed on a frozen lake in Alaska earlier this week, according to officials.

The three individuals, identified by NBC News as family members, were found with non-life-threatening injuries near the wreckage on Monday, March 24, authorities said in a statement.

Police told local station KTUU that the two juveniles were elementary and middle school ages and that the trio was discovered after spending roughly 12 hours on a Kenai Peninsula lake.

They were taken to a hospital after they were found on Monday morning near the east side of Tustumena Lake, according to police.

KTUU reported that the wreck was found by a good Samaritan, identified as Terry Godes on Good Morning America, after the plane — a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser — was reported overdue the night before around 10:30 local time.

The man and two young passengers were then rescued by the Alaska Army National Guard around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, per the release.

Godes told GMA that he saw a "dark spot" in the while flying overhead.

"At first, I could tell it was an airplane wing and so I made an announcement on the radio that I think I may have spotted them. I could see that there [were] three people on top of the wing. It was really good to see," he said.

After their "very cold, long, dark, wet night," Godes said it was "a miracle" that they survived.

"When I first saw the wing out there, it broke my heart because I know what happens when airplanes break through the ice," he said.

"Fortunately, they got out of the airplane in time, either before it sank all the way or they got out through the skylights," he added.

Dale Eicher, who reportedly has a background in search and rescue, also spoke to KTUU about hearing that the aircraft had been discovered after starting his own search.

"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.”

Praising the Kenai community for their help, the pilot's father, John Morris, told KTUU that he had “air in my lungs again.”

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Family friend Scott Holmes also expressed his appreciation for the community. “My daughter told me there was 420 shares on my post,” he told the outlet of a Facebook post he made calling for help. "I‘m proud of the guys that stepped up and went out and helped out.”

Dennis Hogenson, with the National Transportation Safety Board, described the discovery as “remarkable and good news," per the outlet.

Hogenson added that they still do not know what caused the crash and that they will be interviewing the pilot and recovering the aircraft.