Latest news with #PiperPA-12SuperCruiser
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Probe continues in misuse of student license for pilot whose plane was submerged in icy Alaska lake
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal investigation into misuse of a student pilot's license continues for an Alaska man who waited hours for rescue with two young family members on the wing of plane after he landed on a partially frozen lake, where the aircraft partially sank. The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said like all pilots involved in accidents, the pilot in Sunday's mishap, identified by an official and federal aviation records as John B. Morris Jr., of Kenai, is being investigated. In Morris' case, he holds a student license which bars him from flying with passengers. The FAA has a range of disciplinary actions, up to suspending or revoking a student pilot's license for violations. The plane, a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser registered to Morris, landed for unknown reasons near the toe of a glacier on Tustumena Lake, on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula on Sunday. The pilot and passengers were rescued the following day after spending a cold night on the wing. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board also announced Thursday it was no longer investigating the incident. What happened? Morris and two young family members, described by Alaska State Troopers as of elementary- and middle school-age, flew from the Soldotna airport on a sightseeing tour last Sunday. In a social media post, John Morris implored people to help search for his son and granddaughters, saying they were late returning from a Sunday afternoon flight. The plane didn't have a locator beacon, and the last ping from the pilot's cell phone put it in Tustumena Lake, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) south of Anchorage. Terry Godes, one of about a dozen good Samaritan pilots searching for the missing plane, spotted it on Tustumena Lake, and three people on the wing waved at him as he neared them Monday. Officials said the plane didn't totally sink through the soft ice because cloth covering the wing helped keep it afloat. The Alaska Army National Guard dispatched a helicopter to rescue the three. They were flown to a nearby hospital with what officials described as non-life-threatening injuries. The girls were dry, but Morris Jr. got wet in the slowly sinking plane after getting them onto the wing. His phone also got wet and stopped working. The investigation The NTSB conducts accident investigations, and the FAA handles enforcement. Mark Ward, an NTSB investigator, earlier told The Associated Press that Morris Jr. did not report the incident within the required timeframe of 24 hours and did not return phone calls to them. Morris also hasn't returned several messages this week to the AP. If the pilot landed on the lake that wasn't as solidly frozen as he estimated, that's a different scenario than if a mechanical issued forced them down, Ward said. The NTSB announced Thursday it was no longer investigating. 'We were able to confirm that there was not substantial damage or serious injuries,' meaning it didn't fall within the agency's jurisdiction to investigate, spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said in an email. The FAA does look at 'pilot qualifications and performance as part of every accident investigation,' said spokesperson Ian Gregor, also by email. He later said the agency does not 'comment on any aspect of an open investigation." Why is the pilot being looked at? In 2018, Morris Jr. received his student pilot license with the limitation that he not carry passengers. Ward, the NTSB investigator, said he was told by the FAA that Morris appeared to have a history of violating the prohibition and had made no applications for a regular pilot's license. Among other FAA prohibitions for a student pilot include not flying or carrying property for compensation or for hire, flying in furtherance of a business or flying internationally, except for solo training flights from the Alaska communities of Haines, Gustavus or Juneau to Whitehorse, Yukon, returning over the Canadian province of British Columbia. Student pilots flying passengers is among the more common violations of FAA rules, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Speaking generally, FAA sanctions depend on the circumstances of individual cases. Actions can include counseling and training on the low end to certificate suspensions or revocations on the high end.
The Independent
27-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Probe continues in misuse of student license for pilot whose plane was submerged in icy Alaska lake
A federal investigation into misuse of a student pilot's license continues for an Alaska man who waited hours for rescue with two young family members on the wing of plane after he landed on a partially frozen lake, where the aircraft partially sank. The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said like all pilots involved in accidents, the pilot in Sunday's mishap, identified by an official and federal aviation records as John B. Morris Jr., of Kenai, is being investigated. In Morris' case, he holds a student license which bars him from flying with passengers. The FAA has a range of disciplinary actions, up to suspending or revoking a student pilot's license for violations. The plane, a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser registered to Morris, landed for unknown reasons near the toe of a glacier on Tustumena Lake, on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula on Sunday. The pilot and passengers were rescued the following day after spending a cold night on the wing. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board also announced Thursday it was no longer investigating the incident. What happened? Morris and two young family members, described by Alaska State Troopers as of elementary- and middle school-age, flew from the Soldotna airport on a sightseeing tour last Sunday. In a social media post, John Morris implored people to help search for his son and granddaughters, saying they were late returning from a Sunday afternoon flight. The plane didn't have a locator beacon, and the last ping from the pilot's cell phone put it in Tustumena Lake, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) south of Anchorage. Terry Godes, one of about a dozen good Samaritan pilots searching for the missing plane, spotted it on Tustumena Lake, and three people on the wing waved at him as he neared them Monday. Officials said the plane didn't totally sink through the soft ice because cloth covering the wing helped keep it afloat. The Alaska Army National Guard dispatched a helicopter to rescue the three. They were flown to a nearby hospital with what officials described as non-life-threatening injuries. The girls were dry, but Morris Jr. got wet in the slowly sinking plane after getting them onto the wing. His phone also got wet and stopped working. The investigation The NTSB conducts accident investigations, and the FAA handles enforcement. Mark Ward, an NTSB investigator, earlier told The Associated Press that Morris Jr. did not report the incident within the required timeframe of 24 hours and did not return phone calls to them. Morris also hasn't returned several messages this week to the AP. If the pilot landed on the lake that wasn't as solidly frozen as he estimated, that's a different scenario than if a mechanical issued forced them down, Ward said. The NTSB announced Thursday it was no longer investigating. 'We were able to confirm that there was not substantial damage or serious injuries,' meaning it didn't fall within the agency's jurisdiction to investigate, spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said in an email. The FAA does look at 'pilot qualifications and performance as part of every accident investigation,' said spokesperson Ian Gregor, also by email. He later said the agency does not 'comment on any aspect of an open investigation." Why is the pilot being looked at? In 2018, Morris Jr. received his student pilot license with the limitation that he not carry passengers. Ward, the NTSB investigator, said he was told by the FAA that Morris appeared to have a history of violating the prohibition and had made no applications for a regular pilot's license. Among other FAA prohibitions for a student pilot include not flying or carrying property for compensation or for hire, flying in furtherance of a business or flying internationally, except for solo training flights from the Alaska communities of Haines, Gustavus or Juneau to Whitehorse, Yukon, returning over the Canadian province of British Columbia. Student pilots flying passengers is among the more common violations of FAA rules, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Speaking generally, FAA sanctions depend on the circumstances of individual cases. Actions can include counseling and training on the low end to certificate suspensions or revocations on the high end.
Associated Press
27-03-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Probe continues in misuse of student license for pilot whose plane was submerged in icy Alaska lake
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal investigation into misuse of a student pilot's license continues for an Alaska man who waited hours for rescue with two young family members on the wing of plane after he landed on a partially frozen lake, where the aircraft partially sank. The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said like all pilots involved in accidents, the pilot in Sunday's mishap, identified by an official and federal aviation records as John B. Morris Jr., of Kenai, is being investigated. In Morris' case, he holds a student license which bars him from flying with passengers. The FAA has a range of disciplinary actions, up to suspending or revoking a student pilot's license for violations. The plane, a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser registered to Morris, landed for unknown reasons near the toe of a glacier on Tustumena Lake, on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula on Sunday. The pilot and passengers were rescued the following day after spending a cold night on the wing. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board also announced Thursday it was no longer investigating the incident. What happened? Morris and two young family members, described by Alaska State Troopers as of elementary- and middle school-age, flew from the Soldotna airport on a sightseeing tour last Sunday. In a social media post, John Morris implored people to help search for his son and granddaughters, saying they were late returning from a Sunday afternoon flight. The plane didn't have a locator beacon, and the last ping from the pilot's cell phone put it in Tustumena Lake, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) south of Anchorage. Terry Godes, one of about a dozen good Samaritan pilots searching for the missing plane, spotted it on Tustumena Lake, and three people on the wing waved at him as he neared them Monday. Officials said the plane didn't totally sink through the soft ice because cloth covering the wing helped keep it afloat. The Alaska Army National Guard dispatched a helicopter to rescue the three. They were flown to a nearby hospital with what officials described as non-life-threatening injuries. The girls were dry, but Morris Jr. got wet in the slowly sinking plane after getting them onto the wing. His phone also got wet and stopped working. The investigation The NTSB conducts accident investigations, and the FAA handles enforcement. Mark Ward, an NTSB investigator, earlier told The Associated Press that Morris Jr. did not report the incident within the required timeframe of 24 hours and did not return phone calls to them. Morris also hasn't returned several messages this week to the AP. If the pilot landed on the lake that wasn't as solidly frozen as he estimated, that's a different scenario than if a mechanical issued forced them down, Ward said. The NTSB announced Thursday it was no longer investigating. 'We were able to confirm that there was not substantial damage or serious injuries,' meaning it didn't fall within the agency's jurisdiction to investigate, spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said in an email. The FAA does look at 'pilot qualifications and performance as part of every accident investigation,' said spokesperson Ian Gregor, also by email. He later said the agency does not 'comment on any aspect of an open investigation.' Why is the pilot being looked at? In 2018, Morris Jr. received his student pilot license with the limitation that he not carry passengers. Ward, the NTSB investigator, said he was told by the FAA that Morris appeared to have a history of violating the prohibition and had made no applications for a regular pilot's license. Among other FAA prohibitions for a student pilot include not flying or carrying property for compensation or for hire, flying in furtherance of a business or flying internationally, except for solo training flights from the Alaska communities of Haines, Gustavus or Juneau to Whitehorse, Yukon, returning over the Canadian province of British Columbia. Student pilots flying passengers is among the more common violations of FAA rules, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
The Guardian
26-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Man and two daughters survive 12 hours on aircraft wing in Alaska lake before rescue
A pilot and his two young daughters survived on the wing of a plane for about 12 hours after it crashed and was partly submerged in an icy Alaska lake, then were rescued after being spotted by a good Samaritan. Terry Godes said he saw a Facebook post on Sunday night calling for people to help search for the missing plane, which did not have a locator beacon. On Monday morning about a dozen pilots including Godes headed out to scour the rugged terrain. Godes headed toward Tustumena Lake near the toe of a glacier and spotted what he thought was wreckage. 'It kind of broke my heart to see that, but as I got closer down and lower, I could see that there's three people on top of the wing,' he told the Associated Press on Tuesday. After saying a prayer, he continued to approach and saw a miracle. 'They were alive and responsive and moving around,' Godes said, adding that they waved at him. The missing Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser, piloted by a man with two juvenile immediate family members aboard, was on a sightseeing tour from Soldotna to Skilak Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. It was not immediately clear how old the juveniles were. In a social media post early on Monday, John Morris implored people to help search for his son and granddaughters, saying they were late returning from a Sunday-afternoon flight. 'There are friends ready to search at daylight. But this is my plea for any and all help to locate my family,' he wrote. The three were rescued on the eastern edge of Tustumena Lake on Monday by the Alaska army national guard after Godes alerted other searching pilots that he had found them. Another pilot, Dale Eicher, heard Godes' radio call and related it to troopers since he was closer to Skilak Lake and figured he had better cell reception. He was also able to provide the plane's coordinates to authorities. 'I wasn't sure if we would find them, especially because there was a cloud layer over quite a bit of the mountains, so they could have very easily been in those clouds that we couldn't get to,' Eicher said. But finding the family alive within an hour of starting the search 'was very good news'. The three were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Alaska state troopers said. Godes said many miracles were at play, from the plane not sinking, to the survivors being able to stay atop the wing, to them surviving nighttime temperatures dipping below 30F (-1C). 'They spent a long, cold, dark, wet night out on top of a wing of an airplane that they weren't planning on,' Godes said. Alaska has few roads, leaving many communities to rely on small airplanes to get around. Last month 10 people died when a small commuter plane that was overweight by half a ton crashed onto sea ice in the Norton Sound, near Nome on the state's western coast. And five years ago, a midair collision near the Soldotna airport claimed seven lives including that of a state lawmaker. For this week's rescue, the national guard dispatched a helicopter from its base in Anchorage. The initial plan of using a hoist to pluck the crash survivors from the wing proved too dangerous, as the the smallest girl was being buffeted and blown around by the wind created by the helicopter, said Lt Col Brendon Holbrook, commander of the 207th aviation regiment. So instead the aircraft hovered to the side and pulled them on board. Personnel reported that the girls were surprisingly dry but the man had been in the water at some point, Holbrook said: 'We don't know to what extent, but he was hypothermic.' Holbrook said he was told they had basic clothing one would wear on small planes without very good heating systems, but nothing sufficient to keep warm outside in wintry temperatures with cold winds blowing on the lake. 'It was literally the best possible scenario and outcome,' Holbrook said. 'Ultimately the crew of that airplane were lucky, because from what my guys told me, that plane was in the ice with the tail refrozen, and if that tail hadn't refrozen, it would have sunk.' The 60,000-acre (24,200-hectare) Tustumena Lake, the largest freshwater body on the Kenai Peninsula, is about 80 miles (130km) south-west of Anchorage, with nearby mountains and a glacier. It has been described by the Alaska department of fish and game as 'notorious for its sudden, dangerous winds', with conditions that can cause havoc for both boats and planes. 'The terrain helps turn the winds around, and occasionally they get a little squirrelly,' said Michael Kutz, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Anchorage. Godes agreed that the area is always windy and the water can be whipped up into waves. 'Then just the way it's placed right there at the heel of that, or at the toe of that glacier where you've got mountains on both sides, you know, just a few miles to the west, you've got Cook Inlet running back and forth with huge temperature and tidal swings every day,' he said. 'It's just a recipe for chaos and for turbulence.' There was no indication yet why the plane crashed. Mark Ward, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska division, said the pilot had not yet reported the accident, nor had the agency been able to contact him. Efforts were to be made again on Wednesday to speak to him.
CBS News
26-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Crashed plane's pilot, 2 daughters survived on wing for 12 hours before being rescued from Alaska lake
Anchorage, Alaska — A pilot and his two young daughters survived on the wing of a plane for about 12 hours after it crashed and was partially submerged in an icy Alaska lake, then were rescued after being spotted by a good Samaritan . Terry Godes said he saw a Facebook post Sunday night calling for people to help search for the missing plane, which didn't have a locator beacon. On Monday morning, about a dozen pilots including Godes headed out to scour the rugged terrain. Godes headed toward Tustumena Lake near the toe of a glacier and spotted what he thought was wreckage. "It kind of broke my heart to see that, but as I got closer down and lower, I could see that there's three people on top of the wing," he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. After saying a prayer, he continued to approach and saw a miracle. "They were alive and responsive and moving around," Godes said, adding that they waved at him. The missing Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser was on a sightseeing tour from Soldotna to Skilak Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. It wasn't immediately clear how old the daughters are but the Alaska State Troopers confirmed to Alaska station KTUU-TV Monday that they were of elementary and middle school ages. In a social media post early Monday, John Morris implored people to help search for his son and granddaughters, saying they were late returning from a Sunday afternoon flight. "There are friends ready to search at daylight. But this is my plea for any and all help to locate my family," he wrote. Morris praised the Kenai community for its help in the search, telling KTUU he has "air in my lungs again." The three were rescued on the eastern edge of Tustumena Lake on Monday by the Alaska Army National Guard after Godes alerted other searching pilots that he had found the wreckage. Another pilot, Dale Eicher, heard Godes' radio call and relayed it to troopers since he was closer to Skilak Lake and figured he had better cell reception. He was also able to provide the plane's coordinates to authorities. "I wasn't sure if we would find them, especially because there was a cloud layer over quite a bit of the mountains, so they could have very easily been in those clouds that we couldn't get to," Eicher said. But finding the family alive within an hour of starting the search "was very good news." The three were taken to a hospital with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening, the State Troopers said. Godes said many miracles were at work, from the plane not sinking, to the survivors being able to stay atop the wing, to them surviving nighttime temperatures dipping into the 20s. "They spent a long, cold, dark, wet night out on top of a wing of an airplane that they weren't planning on," Godes said. Alaska has few roads, leaving many communities to rely on small airplanes to get around. Last month, 10 people died when a small commuter plane that was overweight by half a ton crashed onto sea ice in the Norton Sound, near Nome on the state's western coast. And five years ago, a midair collision near the Soldotna airport claimed seven lives, including that of a state lawmaker. For this week's rescue, the National Guard dispatched a helicopter from its base in Anchorage. The initial plan of using a hoist to pluck them from the wing proved too dangerous, as the the smallest girl was being buffeted and blown around by the wind created by the helicopter, said Lt. Col. Brendon Holbrook, commander of the 207th Aviation Regiment. So instead the aircraft hovered to the side and pulled them on board. Personnel reported that the girls were surprisingly dry but the man had been in the water at some point, Holbrook said, noting that, "We don't know to what extent, but he was hypothermic." Holbrook said he was told they had basic clothing one would wear on small planes without very good heating systems, but nothing sufficient to keep warm outside in wintry temperatures with cold winds blowing on the lake. "It was literally the best possible scenario and outcome," Holbrook said. "Ultimately, the crew of that airplane were lucky because, from what my guys told me, that plane was in the ice with the tail refrozen and if that tail hadn't refrozen, it would have sunk." The 60,000-acre Tustumena Lake, the largest freshwater body on the Kenai Peninsula, is about 80 miles southwest of Anchorage, with nearby mountains and a glacier. It's been described by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as "notorious for its sudden, dangerous winds," with conditions that can cause havoc for both boats and planes. "The terrain helps turn the winds around, and occasionally they get a little squirrelly," said Michael Kutz, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Anchorage. Godes agreed that the area is always windy and the water can be whipped up into waves. "Then just the way it's placed right there at the heel of that, or at the toe of that glacier where you've got mountains on both sides, you know, just a few miles to the west, you've got Cook Inlet running back and forth with huge temperature and tidal swings every day," he said. "It's just a recipe for chaos and for turbulence." There was no indication yet why the plane crashed. Mark Ward, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska division, said the pilot hadn't yet reported the accident, nor had the agency been able to contact him. Efforts were to be made again Wednesday to speak to him.
