The three survivors of a Sunday afternoon plane crash are found atop the wing of their plane near Tustumena Lake in Kasilof, Alaska, on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Photo by Dale Eicher)

The three survivors of a Sunday afternoon plane crash are found atop the wing of their plane near Tustumena Lake in Kasilof, Alaska, on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Photo by Dale Eicher)

All occupants of Sunday evening plane crash rescued

Troopers were told first around 10:30 p.m. Sunday that a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser was overdue.

The three occupants of a plane reported missing Sunday night were rescued Monday morning from the wreckage of their plane on the frozen surface of the glacial outwash lake near Tustumena Lake.

A dispatch by Alaska State Troopers on Sunday says they were told first around 10:30 p.m. that a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser, a single-engine aircraft that seats three, was overdue. A search for the plane was undertaken, troopers said, by the Alaska Army National Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and good Samaritan aircraft.

Sunday morning, one of those good Samaritan aircraft located the wreckage. In a photo shared with the Clarion, the three occupants can be seen atop the wing of their plane sitting on the ice. The body of the craft was submerged.

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At around 10:30 a.m., troopers say, the national guard was able to rescue the adult male pilot and two minors from the area. All three were taken to a nearby hospital “for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.”

This story was corrected Monday. A previous version said the plane was found in Tustumena Lake, instead it was found in a glacial outwash lake near Tustumena Lake.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

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