A man and two children were found alive with minor injuries on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula near the wreckage of a small aircraft, which had been reported overdue since March 23, 2025.
Alaska State Troopers announced in a statement that the wreckage of the Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser, registered as N3342M, had been found on the morning of March 25, 2025, near the eastern shore of the frozen Tustumena Lake.
At approximately 10:30 local time, the Alaska Army National Guard rescued the adult male pilot and two juvenile passengers from the aircraft. They were then taken to a Kenai Peninsula area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Earlier, on March 23, 2025, at approximately 22:32 local time, Alaska State Troopers received a report about the overdue Piper PA-12 that had failed to return.
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center launched a search operation using a US Coast Guard AC-130, with Alaska Army National Guard C-130 and HH-60 helicopters on standby. The initial search areas included Tustumena Lake and Kenai Mountains east of Homer, Alaska.
At first, no emergency transmitter signal was detected from the wreckage. However, the Alaska National Guard told ABC News that a cell phone ping led search teams to believe the aircraft was located near suspected areas east of Homer.
The aircraft, carrying a pilot and two children who were reportedly immediate family members, was discovered one day after it went missing. According to the Aviation Safety Network data, all three occupants survived, despite the aircraft breaking through the ice.
The pilot, a resident of Sterling, was reportedly taking the two children on a sightseeing flight from Soldotna Airport (SXQ), located approximately 13 miles (20.92 kilometers) west of Sterling and 22 miles (35.41 kilometers) from Tustumena Lake.
