Man, 2 children found alive hours after plane crashes in Alaska
FILE - A glacier is seen in the Kenai Mountains on Sept. 6, 2019, near Primrose, Alaska. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A man and two children were found alive hours after their plane was reported missing the night before in Alaska.
The small plane's wreckage was discovered Monday morning on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula.
Here’s what to know:
Man, 2 children found alive hours after Alaska plane crash
What we know:
Alaska State Troopers said they received a report around 10:30 p.m. local time on Sunday that a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser was overdue. It listed suspected locations as Tustumena Lake and the Kenai Mountains, east of Homer, Alaska.
Three people, a male pilot and two juveniles, were rescued after the plane's wreckage was discovered around 10:30 a.m. on Monday near the east side of Tustumena Lake, according to the Alaska State Troopers.
They were all taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, authorities said.
The three are immediate family members, with Alaska State Troopers confirming that the two passengers were elementary and middle school ages, according to KTUU-TV in Anchorage.
What we don't know:
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Dig deeper:
The 60,000-acre Tustumena Lake is described by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as "notorious for its sudden dangerous winds and 45-degree water." Homer is a Kenai Peninsula community located about 220 miles southwest of Anchorage.
What they're saying:
After the rescue, the pilot’s father, John Morris, praised the Kenai community for their help and told KTUU that he has "air in my lungs again."
What's next:
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Alaska State Troopers and a report by KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska. It was reported from Cincinnati, and the Associated Press contributed.