A small aircraft crashed into a frozen lake in Alaska, but a family of three miraculously survived by clinging to the plane's narrow wing for more than 12 hours before being rescued. According to the Associated Press (AP) and ABC News on the 25th (local time), a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser departed from Soldotna Airport in Alaska on the 23rd, heading toward Skilak Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. The aircraft was carrying a male pilot and his two daughters, one in elementary school and the other in middle school, on a sightseeing flight over Skilak Lake. However, by late that same day, they had lost contact. The U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, and the National Guard launched a search, but no emergency signal from the aircraft was detected. Over 12 hours after the disappearance, early on the morning of the 24th, a desperate plea appeared on Facebook from the children's grandfather, urging people to help find his son and granddaughters. In response, 12 civilian pilots volunteered to search the rugged terrain. Eventually, a pilot named Terry Goos discovered the wreckage on the ice east of Tustumena Lake. The fuselage was mostly submerged in water but had not completely sunk. Only parts of the wings and rudder remained above the surface.

Goos initially feared the worst. "I descended with a heavy heart, expecting tragedy. But as I got closer, I saw three people standing on the wing. They were alive, waving their hands. It was a miracle," he recalled. The father and his daughters had endured over 12 hours on the small remaining section of the wing. With nighttime temperatures plummeting below freezing, their survival was in grave jeopardy. Rescuers quickly transported the survivors to a hospital, where they were found to be in stable condition with no life-threatening injuries. An Alaska rescue official described the incident as "a testament to the strength of the Alaskan community." Due to the vast number of roadless regions in Alaska, many residents rely on small aircraft for transportation. Tustumena Lake, the largest freshwater lake on the Kenai Peninsula, spans approximately 114 kilometers in circumference and has no road access—reaching it requires navigating river routes. The crash site was about 30 kilometers in a straight line from Skilak Lake, the family's intended destination. The cause of the crash remains unknown. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are currently investigating.

(Dong-A Ilbo, March 27, 2025)