The Daily Populous Wednesday March 26th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by cnn.com and submitted by CupidStunt13

Summary A pilot and two children survived a plane crash on a frozen-over Alaska lake Sunday night.

Good Samaritans helped locate the family members roughly 12 hours after they were reported overdue.

The survivors were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Alaska State Troopers.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators will interview the pilot to determine the crash cause.

Good Samaritans in Alaska are being credited with helping save a pilot and two children who survived a plane crash on an icy lake Sunday night.

The Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser and its three occupants were reported overdue Sunday in the area of Tustumena Lake and the Kenai Mountains, near Homer, the Associated Press reported.

Roughly 12 hours later, the wreckage and three survivors were spotted by someone who was helping search, CNN affiliate KTUU reported.

Dale Eicher, who has a background in search and rescue, had just started his own search when he heard over the radio the downed aircraft had been spotted on a frozen-over Tustumena Lake, he told KTUU.

“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 told the outlet. “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.”

After rescuers arrived, the survivors were taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, KTUU said. The three are immediate family members, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel told the AP.

The rescue was touted as “remarkable and good news” by National Transportation Safety Board Western Pacific Region Chief Dennis Hogenson, KTUU reported.

Investigators working to determine the cause of the crash will interview the pilot and work on recovering the plane, Hogenson said.

JarbaloJardine on March 25th, 2025 at 22:09 UTC »

Look for the helpers! Bravo brave people of Alaska who went out looking

kuegsi on March 25th, 2025 at 21:50 UTC »

That is some serious luck after some serious bad luck! Glad they’ve been found and hope they’ll be okay

CupidStunt13 on March 25th, 2025 at 21:18 UTC »

> Good Samaritans in Alaska are being credited with helping save a pilot and two children who survived a plane crash on an icy lake Sunday night.

> The Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser and its three occupants were reported overdue Sunday in the area of Tustumena Lake and the Kenai Mountains, near Homer, the Associated Press reported.

> Roughly 12 hours later, the wreckage and three survivors were spotted by someone who was helping search, CNN affiliate KTUU reported. Dale Eicher, who has a background in search and rescue, had just started his own search when he heard over the radio the downed aircraft had been spotted on a frozen-over Tustumena Lake, he told KTUU.

> “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 told the outlet. “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.”

> After rescuers arrived, the survivors were taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, KTUU said. The three are immediate family members, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel told the AP.

> The rescue was touted as “remarkable and good news” by National Transportation Safety Board Western Pacific Region Chief Dennis Hogenson, KTUU reported. Investigators working to determine the cause of the crash will interview the pilot and work on recovering the plane, Hogenson said.