Latest news with #TerryGodes
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.
CNN
26-03-2025
- General
- CNN
Pilot and 2 young daughters survive the night on airplane wing after crashing into icy Alaska lake
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 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 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 it. 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 into the 20s (subzero Celsius). '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: '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 (130 kilometers) southwest 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 Wednesday to speak to him.
Asharq Al-Awsat
26-03-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Pilot, 2 Children Survive Night on Airplane's Wing After It Crashes into Icy Alaska Lake
A pilot and two children 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 did not have a locator beacon. On Monday morning, about a dozen pilots — including Godes in his own airplane — headed out to scour the rugged terrain for the missing plane. 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 little prayer, he continued to get closer and saw a miracle. "They were alive and responsive and moving around," he said, adding they waved at him as he approached. The missing Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser, piloted by a man with two immediate juvenile family members aboard, flew Sunday on a recreational sightseeing tour from Soldotna to Skilak Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. The three were rescued on the eastern edge of Tustumena Lake on Monday by the Alaska Army National Guard after Godes alerted other pilots searching for the plane that he had found it. Another pilot, Dale Eicher, heard Godes' radio call and alerted 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 he said that finding the family within an hour of starting the search and finding them alive "was very good news." The three survivors were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Alaska State Troopers said. "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. He said there were many miracles at play, from the plane not sinking, to the survivors being able to stay perched atop the wing, to the three surviving the night in temperatures dipping into the 20s (subzero Celsius). "It's a cold dark place out there at night," he said. The plane was mostly submerged in the lake with only the wing and the top of the rudder exposed above the ice and water, Godes noted. Alaska is a state with few roads, leaving many communities to rely on small airplanes as the preferred mode of transportation. Last month, in western Alaska, 10 people died when a small commuter plane that was overweight by half a ton crashed into sea ice in the Norton Sound, near Nome on the state's western coast. Five years ago, a deadly midair collision near the Soldotna airport claimed the lives of seven people, including an Alaska state lawmaker. The Alaska Army National Guard dispatched a helicopter from its base in Anchorage to rescue the three people on Monday morning. The initial plan was to use a hoist to pull the three up and off the wing, but it proved to be too dangerous as the smallest girl was being buffeted and blown around by the wind created by the helicopter, said Lt. Col. Brendon Holbrook, commander of the guard's 207th Aviation Regiment. So, instead the helicopter hovered to the side of the plane's wing and pulled the three people on board. He said his personnel reported the two girls were surprisingly dry but the adult male had been in the water at some point. "We don't know to what extent, but he was hypothermic," Holbrook said. Holbrook said he was told the three people had basic clothing one would wear in Alaska on small planes without very good heating systems, but nothing sufficient to keep a person warm outside in winter-like 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." There is no indication why the plane crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that it is investigating with the Federal Aviation Administration. The 60,000-acre (24,200-hectare) Tustumena Lake is situated about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage and has been described by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as "notorious for its sudden, dangerous winds." Conditions around the lake — with nearby mountains, a glacier and gusty winds — can cause havoc for both boats and planes. The body of water is the largest freshwater lake on the Kenai Peninsula. "Even under what would be considered a benign or relatively weak pressure gradient, 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 fresh water can kick up with the wind and turn 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. It's just a recipe for chaos and for turbulence," he said.
Ammon
26-03-2025
- General
- Ammon
Pilot, 2 young daughters survive the night on airplane wing after crashing into icy Alaska lake
Ammon News - 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 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. 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 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 it. 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. AP
