Overview

• A Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser crashed into Tustumena Lake, Alaska, on March 23, 2025, during a sightseeing trip, stranding the pilot and his two daughters on the plane's wing for 12 hours in freezing temperatures.
• Volunteer pilot Terry Godes located the wreckage on March 24 after seeing a social media plea, relaying its coordinates with the help of another pilot, Dale Eicher.
• The Alaska Army National Guard rescued the survivors using a helicopter, and they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital.
• The pilot, John Morris Jr., was a student pilot unauthorized to carry passengers and faces FAA disciplinary action for regulatory violations, including failing to report the crash within 24 hours.
• The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, with the cause still undetermined, and the absence of a locator beacon noted as a complicating factor in the rescue.