‘It’s A Miracle’: Pilot Finds Man, Two Children Hours After Plane Crashes Into Icy Waters

A civilian pilot and authorities rescued a man and two children Monday after they were stranded overnight on the wing of a downed plane in Alaska.

The Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser was reported past-due Sunday night after taking off from the Soldotna Airport earlier that day, ABC News reported, citing the Alaska National Guard. Alaskan authorities began a search effort for the missing plane but officials were unable to locate the aircraft. The wreckage did not broadcast an emergency transmitter signal.

The state’s National Guard told ABC News they discovered a cellphone ping, leading searchers to believe the aircraft was near the Kenai Mountains and Tustumena Lake.

Terry Godes, a civilian in his own plane, spotted the crash site Monday.

“I looked down and I could see the ice over the lake … and I could see kind of a dark spot,” Godes told ABC News. “At first, I could tell it was an airplane wing and so I made an announcement on the radio that I think I may have spotted them.”

“I could see that there were three people on top of the wing,” he continued. “It was really good to see.”

The three were stranded atop the plane with temperatures close to freezing for approximately 12 hours, ABC News reported. (RELATED: Alaska Authorities Find Missing Plane After It Vanished With 10 Aboard)

“They spent a very cold, long, dark, wet night out on top of the wing of an airplane on soft ice,” Godes said. “It’s a miracle.”

“When I first saw the wing up there, it broke my heart ’cause I just know what happens when airplanes break through the ice,” he added.

An Alaska Army National Guard helicopter assigned to the 207th Aviation Troop Command responded to the scene where the plane was spotted and discovered the three atop the wing, according to ABC News. The crashed aircraft appeared to have broken the surface of the frozen lake and was partially submerged in water. Officials told the outlet the plane crashed onto a glacial field and a significant body of water, avoiding the main lake.

The three survived the crash and were taken to a local hospital after being rescued, the outlet reported. Information on the cause of the crash and any injuries were unknown.

The Alaska National Guard did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.