Authorities reported that a man and two children were discovered with non-life-threatening injuries near the wreckage of a small plane on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The incident occurred on Monday after the aircraft, a Piper PA-12 "Super Cruiser," was reported overdue the previous night.
The Alaska State Troopers confirmed that the three individuals, who are family members, were located near Tustumena Lake, where the plane had crashed. They were subsequently taken to Central Peninsula Hospital for treatment. The injuries sustained were not life-threatening.
The Piper "Super Cruiser" had taken off from Soldotna Airport earlier on Sunday. After being reported missing approximately 12 hours later, a search was initiated involving the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, U.S. Coast Guard, and Alaska National Guard. Initially, no emergency signal was detected from the aircraft. However, a cellphone ping suggested the plane might be near Tustumena Lake, known for its unpredictable winds.
Search efforts were hampered until a civilian pilot spotted the crash site, leading rescuers to the three survivors who had taken refuge on the wing of the partially submerged plane. A "Black Hawk" medivac helicopter from the Alaska Army National Guard successfully reached the scene and facilitated the rescue.
This incident follows another plane crash on February 6, when a Bering Air flight went down in sea ice off Alaska, resulting in the deaths of ten individuals. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board found that the aircraft was over the maximum takeoff weight for flight conditions.