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A man and two children were rescued with minor injuries after their small plane crashed on a frozen lake in Alaska on Monday. About 12 hours after the plane was reported overdue, the pilot and two elementary school-age passengers were found on Tustumena Lake on the Kenai Peninsula and taken to a hospital.
The wreckage of the Piper PA-12 was spotted by pilot Terry Godes, who was flying over the area, saw a dark spot on the ice, and noticed three people on the wing. He called it in by radio, and the Alaska Army National Guard rescued them around 10:30 that morning. Godes says it was "a miracle" they made it through the cold, wet night and believes they got out of the plane before it sank.
The pilot's dad, John Morris, and family friend Scott Holmes were thankful for the Kenai community's help with the search. Morris says he was finally able to breathe again after finding out they were alive. The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into what caused the crash and plans to do interviews and recover the aircraft next.
Source: PEOPLE